The Dark Mage: Shirra
by Alkuna
Summary: Adopted from the pound, young Shirra is in for a tough life as she battles for acceptance amidst prejudice and fanatics while trying to control her powers of elemental Darkness. Subeta Fanfiction
1. Chapter 1

I had a pretty good life. A home. A boyfriend. Friends. Then the universe proclaimed, "Shirra, I shall now screw you over."

Goodbye home.

Goodbye boyfriend.

Goodbye friends.

It was off to the Pound for me. Oh, excuuuuse me. "Adopt R Us." Right. Same Shit, Different Name. SSDN.

For some reason, having everything you cared about ripped out from under your feet tends to make you cynical, sarcastic, and downright untrusting. Go figure. I started life as a Legecia; something akin to a unicorn with its horn broken off halfway. Someone adopted me, put me through the Zapper a few times, and turned me into a nice pink Dawn Legecia. Now I was a bright pink unicorn with a broken horn. Oh, I guess I wasn't messed up in the head to begin with; I have to be some freak's guinea pig in a Laboratory. They typed up a short spiel about me and put me back in the pound, thinking that maybe with a shiny new color, I'd be more attractive to people who were looking to adopt a pet.

Not… exactly. At least not the second time around. I got adopted again, zapped some more, and got an even worse deal then before. The Zapper changed my damn gender, making me male, and turned me into a Dawn Illumis. Oh thank you so friggin much for the gender crisis on top of the identity crisis you jerk! Okay, so now I'm a gigantic bright pink firefly with a butt that could light up a room.

In case you didn't know, the Zapper is basically this big machine with the ability to change our form, color and gender. One zap ever four hours or so. It doesn't hurt, but it does feel incredibly strange to feel your body shifting and changing, inside and out. And don't ask about gender changes… please… that's more shades of wrong than I can describe.

Not inclined to think highly of the whole 'third time's the charm' spiel those motivational speakers try to shove down our throats, I ignored everyone until a blonde human knelt in front of me. She glanced at the name and information hanging outside the large cage I was confined in.

"Perfect." She smiled at me.

"Perfect what?" I demanded.

"I've been searching for over an hour for someone who drew my eyes. You're it."

"In case you didn't notice, I'm a little off kilter."

"What, you mean your gender?" she arched an eyebrow at me. "That can be fixed, if you're willing to experience the Zapper for a little while."

"Lady, what the hell do you think got me into this mess?"

She gave me a funny little smile, and then said, "I'll make a deal with you then. Endure the zapper until you're female again and I'll turn you into whatever species and color you want."

I grunted. "Fine. Lilac Irion. At least until something better comes out."

"Deal." The human took a plushie out of a carrying tote and smiled at my dumbfounded expression. A Mystical Montre Plushie nestled in her hands. "Use." She commanded and tossed it lightly into the air.

There was a soft flash of light and a hum of magic before the plushie vanished completely. I couldn't make myself move; my eyes wide and my mouth having fallen open. _She used a fifty million Subeta Point item on…me? _Whispered the stunned part of my brain.

_Don't be stupid;_ hissed another part of me, _she would have used it on someone else just as easily._

The human smiled at my still dumbfounded expression. "My name is Alkuna." She greeted me, and unlatched the door to my pen.

"Shirra," I finally managed to say, getting to all six of my feet. I may be an Illumis right now, but I didn't trust those fragile insect wings with supporting my body.

Getting to my new home proved to be easier than I feared. My new owner called a Dark Matter Kumos over. He introduced himself as Mercolo and gave me a lift on his back. That was… an experience…

You'd think Dark Matters were fleas the way they swarmed around and in his fur. They didn't seem to object to me hitching a ride, but it gave me a creepy crawly feeling when they floated up to investigate me, and proceeded to perch in various spots on my armored insect body. Okay, I know it's silly for a giant firefly to bitch about creepy crawlies, but there you go.

I changed species a number of times before the zapper finally made me a girl again. However, by then Alkuna had gotten me an Irion Elixir and a Lilac Potion.

It took a little getting used to. For one thing, Irions are quite large compared to the Illumis, and a lot bulkier compared to the Sheeta form I had briefly taken on. And learning to fly…. Eesh. Try to imagine a purple gryphon the size of a small horse flapping around in your back yard and jumping off of things trying to get lift. Fortunately, a Lain named Quitzel was in the house to give me lessons on how to use my wings.

I was not looking forward to school.

Wait. That's stupid.

Nobody _ever_ looks forward to going to school. Between the drama queens and the brainless thugs… I mean jocks… Coupled together with pissy teachers, idiotic assignments and homework designed to motivate the suicide ratings to an all time high, no one would willingly subject themselves.

Yet today I felt like I was standing on the last line of all that was good and pleasant, and peering over the brink into the abyss of what was to become Total Shit Day.

My short stint of getting used to my new form had put me behind a bit, at least as far as learning the layout of the campus. Finding the office was thankfully easy enough. The office lady, a frumpy Marsh Popoko with limp, unkempt fur took my name and flipped through pages before finding it.

"Of course," she said blandly, "Have a seat." She gestured with a halfhearted flip of her paw at an uncomfortable looking bench.

I was rapidly on my way to becoming bored as well as uncomfortable when I heard the sound of claws on the floor.

I admit, I thought I knew what every pet sounded like. Tick-tack-tick-tack was the bird-like Lain. A light click-click-click-click was the brisk step of the wolf-like Kumos. And the very light, very faint ticka-ticka sound was the light tread of the squirrel-like Popoko.

Clack. Clack. Clack. Both the sound of claws and the tread of feet bewildered me; it was very heavy. Heavy, deliberate and powerful.

My eyes nearly popped out of my head as a wall of pure muscle walked through the office door. My eyes darted up to see a broad, dragon-like head decorated with dazzling blue frills at the back of the predatory skull. They called this an Experiment #8001, a rare form that could only be gotten by a zap from the Pet Zapper V.2. The thing that struck me the hardest though, beyond the muscles, sharp teeth and spikes, were the eyes.

A frigid blue, and colder than any Glacier Potion, they were perfectly bisected by what looked more like black obsidian needles than pupils.

The Popoko went rigid in her chair, showing more animation for this predatory fellow than she'd had for me. Not that I could blame her. Pound for pound, he outweighed even me; for all that I'm taller when standing up.

"I am here for Shirra." The words were clipped, spoken in a deep male baritone with a kind of nifty British accent.

The Popoko flicked a finger at me and that head turned around to face me. I felt the gaze pierce right through me and for a split second, I felt like a very small Wyllop pinned before a very large Tigrean. Then he blinked and the spell was broken.

"Very well then. My name is Hexavier. I'm here to show you to your first class."

_Seriously?_ I thought, half-frantic. _Not to… I don't know; use me in Home Ec. as the next meal? Flambé a la Irion?_ But I nodded to him and picked up my backpack, already loaded with textbooks. "I'm Shirra, as I guess you already know."

He nodded slightly. "You're the one Mum picked up the other day. Sorry 'bout not meeting you 'till now."

"Wait… you're my… brother?"

"You can call me that if you like, though none of us are truly related except Lacoda and Silverserri." Gallantly, he opened the classroom door for me.

The teacher raised a strict eyebrow when we entered, but after asking for our names, she nodded curtly. "Have a seat you two, though I expect you to be on time hereafter. Your late pass is for today and today only."

I did my best to ignore the whispers that sparked as we entered and took our seats. Despite his intimidating appearance, he seemed friendly enough, if a bit formal. I supposed it was something to brood upon when I wasn't wrestling with arithmetic.

The bell rang, and he was there as I scrambled to put my stuff away. He showed me to my next class before vanishing to get to his own. Hexavier was there all day, and though we only shared two classes, he was sure to meet me and lead me to my next class all throughout the day.

Every class broke out in whispers at his brief appearance at the doors. It made my feathers ruffle, though I could never quite pick out what they were whispering about. Not that I needed to. School is a notorious nest for the vermin, and sooner or later, it was going to be a rather horrendous confrontation over a rumor.

Lunchtime was an uncomfortable affair. I hadn't made any friends to sit with. Hex –a nickname he gave me permission to use– was a gentleman and invited me to join him and Rask, a Dark Matter Magnus. I took them up on the offer; I didn't like the way the girls were eyeing me.

Rask was another tough guy, but they both included me in their conversation, which apparently sported the topic of a head cheerleader named Vaishi.

"Watch out for her, Shirra," Rask warned, "She waits for the world to revolve around her and then gets very vindictive when it doesn't."

"Aye," Hex rumbled deep in his chest, "still hasn't forgiven me for turning her down."

"Won't believe you're serious either." Rask took a bite of sandwich.

"What does she look like?" I asked warily.

"Dragarth," Hex said around a mouth full of apple, then swallowed and cleared his throat before clarifying, "Lilac I think is her current month's color. Build and grace of a dancer, but none of the beauty where it counts, if you know what I mean."

He walked me to girl's gym and gave me a low, cautionary growl in my feathered ear, "Watch yourself now. She's got gym this period too. Fifty-fifty chance she's in yours as much as the other."

"I know my luck and how this will turn out," I said miserably, and approached the teacher, a Sun Velosotor with a whistle around her neck.

She assigned me to a number on the floor and put us through some warm up exercises as we stood in neat little numbered rows.

"Four leggers, I want ALL your limbs working!" the teacher barked, "Let me see those wings move too people! This is not a foot stomping session; this is a warm up for the whole body! Let's go! Let's go!"

I gave a surreptitious look around and with a sinking heart saw what could only be Vaishi, performing her stretches perfectly and smoothly. My joints popped as the new muscles protested the stretches I was undergoing.

"All right, rest!"

I was not the only one to groan softly in relief as we all stood up straight.

"We're doing laps this week," the teacher announced, ignoring the groans or sighs of relief, depending on the student. "The track is half a mile long for a full lap. You will be doing four laps. Running, jogging, or power walking is up to you, but the faster you go, the shorter time it will take you to complete. Begin!"


	2. Chapter 2

Anyone interested in seeing the species and colors of the pets mentioned in this story can find them at:

/\/\/\/\/\/\

The students all streamed out. Having no clue where the track was I just followed the crowd and set my own pace.

Fortunately, for me, the Irion form is both long legged and strong. And though I wasn't exactly in shape, the form came with a light weight and a decent level of stamina. Once I found my gait, I was able to maintain it for nearly the entire four laps.

By the end of the first lap, I was feeling good. The second lap had my heart sinking as the whispers were running the length of the track. Whispers that silenced when I went by and resumed the instant I was past.

By the third lap, Vaishi was apparently on her fourth lap and fell in beside me.

I chose to say nothing: merely concentrating on the rhythm of my feet on the dirt and my breathing.

She was the one to break the silence. "So you're the one Hexavier has been hanging out with."

_It can only go downhill from that accusation_, I thought unhappily. I still said nothing.

Apparently irked by my lack of groveling… or something, she pulled out ahead of me and curled her lip, exposing perfectly white, perfectly straight teeth. I would have been intimidated by the points except that Hex's teeth were pointier… and more prominent, even when he closed that alligator mouth of his.

She turned and jogged backwards ahead of me, sneering into my face. "Get this straight, purple feather ball, in this school there is a pecking order and I'm at the top of the heap. Don't forget it."

"I…hardly care…either way…" I said in time to my breathing.

"You better care, or you'll be sorry. Lay low, shut your mouth and don't get in my way and you'll do just fine."

I was silent.

"By the way," she added as a parting shot, "stay away from Hexavier. He's mine."

_And I'm sure he really appreciates you treating him like property._ I thought as she left the track and I passed the starting line to make my final round. _Might be why he turned your ass down in the first place._

Things did not get better. It turned out that I shared a total of three of my six daily classes with her. One in the morning and two after lunch; Gym and English, my best subject. Fortunately, she huddled with her gaggle…posse? …whatever… on the other side of class.

After class was another story. Rask tracked me down immediately; he passed on a message that Hexavier had to ask a teacher about a project. He would be a few minutes late meeting me. I took my time at my locker, deciding what books to take home for the homework. Hexavier passed me at a jog, quickly confirming that Rask had forewarned me before continuing.

"Maybe your ears don't work so well," hissed a familiar, unpleasant voice.

"They work just fine," I finally retorted, ignoring the posse lurking ominously behind Vaishi, "However, Hex and I share the same Mom, so really there's not a whole lot either one of us can do about it."

Fury blazed in the cheerleader's eyes, "Then you will rue the day your Owner ever laid eyes upon you. You have no right talking to him like he's your bestest buddy that you're on nickname terms with! You are beneath him. You are less than Common color. You are Scribble. And if you think for one second that you-"

"Hi Shirra!" a Galactic Dragarth interceded with a chirpy 'I'm-oblivious-to-the-argument' voice.

My brain scrambled for a name. She shared Mom too…which one was she…? Then I smiled warmly, "Hello Terentia."

A shivery feeling skittered up our spines, preceding the creepy black mist, which preceded in turn the arrival of Terentia's boyfriend. A battle-scarred veteran of the streets, Nerrow was every inch a Nightmare Archan. His eyes –a black so deep it was like sitting at the bottom of a well, looking up at the pinpoint of daylight so high above– surveyed the scene in a split second, and assessed the situation just as quickly.

The posse hastily retreated to make room for him. Small wonder, for though Hexavier was predatory and intimidating, Nerrow was all about violence. Pure brutal, blood drawing violence.

"Hello _little sister_," Nerrow said, his voice pitched just enough to be heard by Vaishi and the crowd, "I hope the students are treating you… well?" The protective claim as well as underlying threat toward anyone who happened to harass me was plain as day. He turned and offered them all a very toothy smile.

_My, grandmother, what big…sharp…white… teeth you have._

"So far so good," I said pleasantly enough. Let them sweat in relief at getting an out just this once. "If it weren't for Hex, I'd get lost in a second."

"Well Hex promised Mom that he'll help you find your way around as long as you need him," Terentia assured me warmly from the other side as the posse slunk warily away.

Once they were out of earshot, all pleasantries fell away from both of them.

"All right let's have it," Nerrow commanded darkly, "what filthy, disgusting poison have they been pouring into your ears?"

Even Terentia looked angry, "And don't stick up for them, sis. We are ALL aware of their trickery."

"It's about Hex, isn't it?" Nerrow rumbled. At my nod, he sighed deeply. "That's what I thought."

"Please," I begged, "Don't go around picking fights. I can ignore words."

"It's not words we're worried about," Terentia reached up and squeezed my shoulder gently.

"Last semester they torched some girl's locker. We all know who did it but there's no proof for the school to press charges." Nerrow's paws clenched into fists on the tiled floors.

"She lost all her textbooks, home work… even a picture of her family that she'd had hanging on the door of her locker. The school had to replace six lockers that were warped by the heat, and repaint fifteen feet of wall."

"Well then we have some gossip to spread," Nerrow said with a grim smile.

The two moved off, leaving me to shake my head in bewilderment.

Hex trotted quickly around the corner. "I hope you didn't wait long."

I smiled, "No. Vaishi and her cronies showed up but Tia and Nerrow showed up quickly to diffuse it."

"Good. I need to stop by my lockers. Walk with me?" he invited.

"Of course," I agreed.

We walked home together, and were greeted by the heady scent of baking at the front door.

Hex's eyes lit up, "Snickerdoodles!" he announced in obvious pleasure, and we bounded inside.

The others were already scattered about the house, taking care of their own homework assignments and munching on a pair of cookies each. Lacoda, the resident chef and mage, had cookies set aside for us both. I bit into a cookie with pleasure; it was still warm and moist from the oven. I felt the tingle of Lacoda's magic baked into the very ingredients, and as it spread through my system, the tension and unhappiness seemed to melt away.

"Look," Hex said as we settled down to do our homework, "I warned you about Vaishi…"

"As have several others," I nodded.

He sighed and seemed to wilt a little, "She's everybody's problem really. But she'd be less of one for you if… well…"

"If we weren't friends," I said bluntly.

He ducked his head, expression sour, "Yeah. Anyone I happen to be friends with gets the same treatment, especially if they happen to be female."

"I had a life before this one," I informed him, "I had a family. Owner. Siblings. Boyfriend. The pound took all those from me. The pound, I couldn't fight. A mere pack of school snobs isn't going to butt in on my happiness."

He smiled, "Good to hear, though you may regret that decision. The snobs can make life miserable."

"Since when is life in general easy? Now about this problem on page 25…"

***

Vaishi was quiet for a great deal of the following week. Then one by one, things started happening.

A rumor about my…promiscuity… had a life for about an hour in both the boys and girls gyms; swiftly silenced by a couple of quick and quiet fights. Alkuma, our extreme Battle Coliseum champ, and Nerrow were suspects on my list for having their claws in that.

When that failed, a note appeared on my desk with the name of the author scratched out completely. Supposedly from a secret admirer. Vaishi and her friends watched me intently to see if I bought it. I crumpled it up and threw it out in the garbage can, casting a look of pure scorn at them.

Hex, Rask, and I became a steady lunch group, something that seemed to make Vaishi's blood boil. Worse, both boys enjoyed my company and made it a point to include me.

Class was okay because the Snob Squad, as I unofficially dubbed them, kept to their own side of the room. Gym on the other hand, was pure hell. Vaishi either ran behind me trying to step on or kick my heels as I went along, or else ran in front of me, blocking my way without seeming to notice. When we switched to volleyball, the nasty Dragarth did her best to foul me –and subsequently my team– in any way she could. She thought she had a thing going until she hit a ball at an inappropriate time and got detention for deliberately striking a fellow student (me) with the ball.

It never mattered who was in my team; as long as I was in it, she or her two snobby friends who shared the class would always find a way to foul us. This too worked against them in the long run, because about a baker's dozen of us cornered the three of them in the locker room and ominously demanded that the "accidents" stop.

And they did. For a week. Until my shampoo got a healthy dose of bright Green Hair Dye. My Lilac colored fur and feathers did not react well with the green, and I was excused to go home.

I fled home as fast as my legs would carry me, too desperate to hide in the office to wait for Mom to pick me up.

The front door banged open at my arrival and I nearly collided with Mom, who was just rushing out to meet me at school.

"Shirra! I just got a phone call and… oh my god…"

"It's awful!" I wailed, allowed the privacy of nobody else in the house but the two of us, "Vaishi put dye in my shampoo and…"

"Shhh baby, I know. I got the story, minus the name of the culprit, just now. Come on; get in the shower before that sets. Rinse, lather and rinse at least three times. I should be back by then."

"W-Where are you going?" I stammered. I'd hoped she would be there to help me.

"I need to make a trip to the bank to get some money, and then I hope to find something that might do some…damage control." Her eyes flicked to my head and shoulders, where the green dye had mixed with my lilac pelt and resulted in a horrendous sludge brown mess.

"Okay," I relaxed marginally. She wouldn't be comforting me for a while, but she was going out to help me fix this, so I couldn't bitch and moan too much.

By the time Mom came back, I'd managed to get some of the excess color out, though I still looked as though someone had dumped sludge over me.

A pair of brand new bottles of Lilac Subeta Shampoo and Lilac Subeta Conditioner awaited Mom's attention as she carefully read the Purple Hair Dye instructions. Resolutely she measured out the dye into both bottles, stripped into some old, beat up clothes and stepped into the spacious shower with me. Using a comb, she worked the dyed shampoo deep into my fur.

"Mmph. You're lucky, you know," Mom told me as she had me stand and let the lathered dye set, "if you'd gotten that green dye on your blue wings or tail, you'd have to wait until they were shed."

"Blue and green aren't a problem to mix," I said, resolutely refusing the urge to shake off, "I could live with that."

"Point." She sighed, "You may lose your blue spots on your back and shoulders for a while after this, but it should get rid of the mucky color."

"That's all I want," I said as the timer Mom had set dinged.

Mom rinsed me thoroughly and checked over my fur with her comb to make sure the new dye job was even. Apparently satisfied, she gave me a thorough dyed Conditioner treatment.

Mom's old clothes were completely ruined; blobs of purple marred them from the dyed shampoo. Mom showered and changed into some normal clothes then, throwing the ruined set out.

We sat together on the bathroom tiles, meticulously brushing and drying my fur. We were nearly done by the time everyone burst through the front door, shouting my name in alarm and concern.

"The rumors were flying all over school that you got punked." Alkuma growled on the other side of the closed door.

"Shirra got a bad dye job from her shampoo at school," Mom confirmed. "We just finished up the fix for it."

Softer, Mom said, "Okay sweetie, we managed to cover it up pretty well, though you're going to be a very dark purple for a while. And the dye jobs have made your fur a little stiff and brittle, so be careful how you brush for the next week or so."

I nodded and rose to look in the mirror. I almost didn't recognize myself. My fur, which had been a gorgeous soft purple, was now an amethyst purple so deep and dark that it was nearly black. I suspected only the brightest sunlight was going to reveal it for the purple it really was. My blue, feathered wings and tail seemed to glow of their own accord in comparison. And she was right. The blue leopard spots that had adorned my back and shoulders, blending my wings and fur together smoothly, were gone. Hidden beneath the dark purple dye job.

Nevertheless, I felt a rush of pure relief. The horrible muddy blotching was completely covered.

I heard a low sharp growl from Alkuma, "All right you guys, clear out. We'll see her soon enough. Let's give 'em some privacy."

A moment of shuffling later and there was a tentative knock on the door, "Shirra? Are you well? It's me."

At my nod, Mom let Hex in. He stepped hesitantly across the threshold, anxiety in his slitted blue eyes.

"Hi Hex," I said awkwardly.

He didn't seem to react at all to my deeper color, "Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

I shook my head, "Just my pride. And Mom helped with the rest."

"Hmmm," he said noncommittally, looking me over from beak to tailtips. "Well then, it seems I owe Vaishi a thank you."

I blinked, feeling slightly stung. "For?"

He stepped close and gently rested his chin on my shoulder, "For making you look even more beautiful."

I felt my ears grow hot under my fur at the force of the blush.


	3. Chapter 3

Anyone interested in seeing the species and colors of the pets mentioned in this story can find them at:

/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next day at school was a mixed bag. There was the ferocious glee when Vaishi discovered a note on her locker, visible to everyone who happened to pass.

"Vaishi, thank you for making _**my girlfriend**_ look even more beautiful.

Hexavier"

There was a great deal of snickering and twittering throughout the halls the entire day. Worse for her was Hexavier coming to school with a new dye job as well. Every part of him that had been blue had been carefully dyed a deep purple to match my fur, compliments of Mom. There was no denying it now; we were officially a thing and nothing was going to drive him away.

Some of the Snob Squad sneered and hissed at my appearance, but the nasty words never really caught on to the rest of the population, since I ignored it.

***

The first semester ended in relative peace, and over Christmas break, some new electives were added to the class rosters. I couldn't help but be drawn to the magic electives. I spent hours pouring over the descriptions and grinding my beak thoughtfully.

Magical Prerequisite Test

Magic comes in many elements, and in order to be placed in a class, you must first be tested to see if you have the ability to access one or more of these elements. Once your magical alignment has been determined, you may then take classes to train you in this/these skills. Please sign up for your Magical Prerequisite Test, which will take place in the Auditorium over the course of several hours.

The idea appealed to me. Lacoda's magic touched on all of the elements, and was baked into the very food she made. Mercolo could step into and out of shadows at will, capable of traveling large distances from shadow to shadow.

I signed up and showed up for testing early. An Angelic Kumos stood on stage along with a number of other teachers, murmuring quietly to one another as a growing crowd of students filed into the auditorium. As the door closed behind the last student, the Angelic Kumos rapped on the podium for silence.

"Welcome everyone! Now before we get started there is something I must warn you all in fairness… not all of you will be able to use magic. Some of you won't be able to access an element at all."

Shocked murmurs rolled throughout the crowd.

The Kumos waited for silence again before she continued, "As much as all of you would love to wave a paw or a wing or a fin and cast a spell, magic does not live in the unwilling heart. It may be that you are destined for other things. It may be that magic couldn't connect with your soul from birth. Or it may be that deep down, you never wanted magic to begin with. Whatever the case may be, if you do not have a connection to magic of some form, there is no point in you trying to take a class."

Amid the uneasy murmurings, the teachers ranged widely across the stage, each holding a glowing stone, "There are ten elements to choose from. Each has its opposite, counter element. Air and Earth. Dark and Light. Life and Death. Fire and Water. Magma and Ice. Everyone is to begin at the left side of the stage with Air. Pick the stone up. If the stone continues to glow, or if the glow strengthens, that is one of your elements. Move on to the next element along the stage. You are to hold each element in turn and remember which ones react. You may then choose your classes accordingly."

I chose to wait for the massive line to go down before going through the whole set. One by one the stones winked out the instant I touched them, and my heart sank a little further with each one. Air, Earth, Life, Death, Fire, Water, Ice, and Magma all rejected my touch. By the time Light winked out, just like all the others, I was about ready to cry. I snatched up the Dark stone carelessly and was about to put it down again when the teacher gave an appreciative murmur.

I froze and turned my head slowly. Darkness rimmed in deep purple leaked out between my fingers in an energetic blaze. Slowly I opened my hand and stared at the rock nestled in my palm, as innocuous as a river stone. It did not get hot. Nor did it get any heavier in my grip. But as I slowly closed my fingers around it, the darkness blazed up around it like a black sun.

Bewildered and almost disbelieving, I gently opened my fist once more and watched the blazing darkness fade away.

"Congratulations child," the Dark Matter Telenine murmured to me, gently plucking the stone out of my hand, "You have the element of Darkness."

She handed me a brochure and a list of courses I could take. Dazed, I wandered outside and sat in the shade, reading the information dubiously.

"Darkness is more than just the absence of light: it is the fear of the unknown and the safety of your room at night. It holds the mystery and fear of the monster in your closet and hides you from your enemies who seek to do you harm. Before we are born, we are sheltered in the darkness within our mother's womb. Perhaps oddly contradictory, Dark magic is the least known and the most mysterious of the elements. Remember that darkness does not always equal evil. Likewise, a surprising number of elements are compatible with darkness. They are: Air, Death, Earth, Ice, Fire, and Water."

Frowning, I looked up to watch the stream of students trickle out of the auditorium. Fire? Why would Fire be compatible with Dark? After all, Fire tended to give off Light, the very opposite element of Dark.

Musing over this, I was startled to see a familiar face among the crowd. He detached himself almost immediately and put his head down threateningly, curling his lip to show his fangs.

"Abathar!" I called to him, and his head snapped around toward me, hard blue eyes narrowing.

Most Hydrus pets had tentacles or fins, following the motif that ran throughout the aquatic designed pets. The Hydrus Kumos had neither, sporting instead horns and a spiny ridge that ran down his spine. Abathar was even more different than that. Instead of brown Hydrus fur, it was an inky black. Also for reasons I could never understand; his markings, which should have been white rimmed with blue, were the deep red of freshly spilled blood.

"What do you want Shirra?" he growled low in his throat.

"I just wanted to know what your magic test turned up," I said, offering him a smile. "Apparently I'm Dark."

Something relaxed marginally across his shoulders, as well as in his eyes. But then he blinked and it was gone, leaving me to wonder if I had really seen it.

"Dark…" he growled reluctantly, "…and Fire. It caused a big stir amongst the students in the testing. They all cleared a six foot space around me, to the point of climbing over chairs to get that distance."

I blinked, my mind going blank and my expression puzzled, "Well _three_ feet is normal isn't it?" I asked him when he seemed to have nothing more to say, "I mean, I remember you don't like to be touched. I wonder why they got all antsy though."

His lip curled again and a hard, bitter smile crept across his muzzle. _It seems a lot of us have gone hard or cold or bitter or dangerous in some way, _I thought vaguely, _Abathar, Hex, Nerrow…Even the original four, Alkuma, Mercolo, Lacoda and Vhai all seem to have something hard and distant deep down inside. Even at home with family, we are not spoiled, sheltered little pets._

"Do you know what my name means?" Abathar's voice was deceptively calm.

I shook my head. It had never even occurred to me that it had any special meaning.

"It means Demon of Blood. What with my name… and my elements… people are afraid of me."

"I don't see why," I said honestly, "What's wrong with demons, blood, Fire and Dark? I do wonder how Fire and Dark can be paired since they seem like they would be opposite, but that's…"

I trailed off as he stared at me as if I'd grown another head. "You _can't_ be serious." His voice was flat and incredulous.

I blinked at him, meeting his gaze, and tilting my head slightly.

"You _are_ serious," Abathar breathed, awe and wonder in his voice, "You are either the most naïve creature on Subeta or the stupidest." He looked at me from head to toe while I tried not to be offended. He was just being Abathar, the most antisocial older brother I'd ever had.

"You must not know what a demon is," he said finally, "Since I'm pretty sure you're not stupid if Darkness chose you."

"Thanks," I said slowly, "…I think…"

"A demon is an evil spirit," Abathar explained flatly, "or a creature usually aligned with Darkness and Fire. A lot of people believe that demons tempt people to evil, just so that they can capture their souls and torment them for eternity after they die."

"Wow." I said finally. "What a load of shit."

Abathar's mouth fell open and he gaped at me for so long I finally decided to risk getting smacked and reached over to close his mouth for him. That seemed to snap him out of it.

"You… it… buh… ARRRGH!" He pressed his face into his paws and clenched his teeth in pure frustration. "That's it!" he yelled, and I leaned back slightly at his volume, "It's official! You are the most naïve, thick headed, oblivious creature in the _universe_!"

"Again," I said dryly, "thank you."

"It should be illegal to be that naïve!" he ranted, pointing a claw at me.

I finally decided to meet him rant for rant, "And I say it should be illegal for everyone else in the universe to be that stupid!" I shouted back, making him jump in surprise and several pets to stare at us.

"People think you're evil because of your _name?!_ For fuck's sake! I met somebody in the pound who was named Bigfatstupidbuttlicker! Do you seriously think that just because someone decided to give him that name, it represented all he was as a person? He was the sweetest Feli I'd ever met, and he always hugged me whenever someone passed me up for somebody else to adopt. He was adopted before I was, and I heard that his owner saved up the money to have his name officially changed into something nicer."

Abathar looked thunderstruck for a moment, but then his expression turned bitter again, "So you learned your lesson not to judge people by their names," he said darkly, "I wonder... How many other pets do you think have learned the same? I doubt it's many. You'll see. I'll be attacked every day now that my powers are official."

"They better not!" I hissed ominously, "Or I'm gonna be getting into a lot of fights from here on out. You're my brother, and nobody picks on my family."

"Well said." Hex's voice rang out from behind me, making me jump. "Sorry I'm late; lost track of time."

His predatory blue eyes rested on Abathar and softened slightly, "Come on you two. You can pick classes at home. Mom needs to know so she can sign the approval forms."

Abathar shook his head and stalked past us with a growl, his plumed tail stiff as a branch behind him.

Sorrow made my chest tight. Poor Abathar. He was surly, short tempered and antisocial. But I knew deep in my heart that in spite of his name and attitude, he was not evil. Mom had adopted him, and she was too smart to allow a threat into our family.

Hex walked side by side with me, his eyes thoughtful. "He is right about one thing you know," he finally said, "There are others, both pets and owners, who will target him… most likely violently… for his name, his alignments, or both."

"How can they?" I asked, feeling my stomach churn with anxiety.

"Simple. Demons and Fire and Darkness are a very old triangle, connected in a very old story. There are humans who are fanatical bigots, believing that every time this triangle shows up, it means that it is evil. No amount of talking will dissuade them. They will believe the only way to prevent this evil from infecting everything else is to destroy it."

I froze in mid step. "You mean… kill it." I whispered.

Hex nodded and I shivered hard, flattening my feathers and fur against myself.

"The pets will be no better. They will learn from their human owners how to react to demons. They too will attack him. Maybe even try to kill him." Hex looked serious as he opened the front door for me.

"Then we must protect him," I stepped into the front room grimly.

"We will try," he assured me, "But we cannot loom protectively over him every second of every day. This won't be as easy as it was for you. No matter how nasty Vaishi was to you, being violent had never crossed _her_ mind."

Mom called a family meeting that evening. As all nineteen of us crowded into the large room, I could see Abathar crouching, hunched, and defensive, next to Mom. My chest tightened again as I realized he was expecting us… his own family… to turn on him. The thought made me feel so sick that I had to swallow the urge to dry heave right then and there.

Mom announced that I was joining Mercolo and Lacoda as a mage, and would soon be taking classes on how to use and control it. Then she dropped the bomb. The room was dead silent for the longest moment of my life.

Then four of my siblings hauled themselves up and approached Abathar slowly.

"Don't touch me!" he snarled furiously, though fear made his eyes bright.

Silverserri the Angelic Kumos, Nelania the Angelic Endeavor, Suchil the Angelic Paralix and Hoshika the Angelic Keeto all sniffed him from nose to tail, careful not to touch their prickly brother.


	4. Chapter 4

Anyone interested in seeing the species and colors of the pets mentioned in this story can find them at:

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Well," Hoshika said finally, licking absently at a paw and rubbing behind a delicate ear, "I don't _smell_ any evil."

"Me neither," the others chorused.

Something relaxed inside of me, and the fear slowly leaked out of Abathar's eyes.

"The challenge," Suchil murmured, "Is how to convince everyone else of that. I suppose we can spread the word."

"That will help a lot," Silverserri said, smiling gently at her brother, immune to the way his lip curled slightly in return, "After all, four 'angels' announcing that he's not evil should have an impact."

"Unlike the rest of you, I am capable of keeping an eye on him all the time," Suchil said mildly, "If I have to, I can interfere."

"You sure you wanna do that?" Abathar sneered, "remember just because you're not a mage doesn't mean you don't have powers."

"My 'butterfly effect' is powerful, that's true," she replied calmly, "But if my family isn't worth interfering for, when who is?"

"Humph." Kehai strutted right up to Abathar and eyed him critically. Then she reached right up and touched his nose with a paw.

Abathar shuddered and snapped at her paw, far too late, as we all felt magic jingle through the room like bells and wrap itself around him.

"What the hell?" he demanded crossly, shaking off in a futile attempt to rid himself of the magic seeping into his fur. "Are you giving me some sort of 'Lucky Nose Beep' or something?"

Kehai, the very incarnation of Luck, gave him a funny little smile, "Luck indeed little brother."

Mom raised an eyebrow at Kehai, "That was interesting. Which law did you manipulate?"

"Murphy's Law," Kehai said with a feral little grin. "Those that oppose him will fall victim to it; if anything can go wrong, it will."

Abathar endured the fear and revulsion of many students on the first day of class. I was the only one daring enough to sit next to him, even in Dark 101, where students were used to being alienated and reviled for their element.

"I told you," he rumbled softly to me, "Darkness and Fire is the lowest of the low. The most hated combination."

I yawned in a bored way, to illustrate my opinion of that, and gave him a piece of paper from my binder so he could take notes.

The teacher swept into the room with the rustle of a gauzy dress. I say gauze, but it looked more as if spiders had spun black webbing all over her. She was an Anthro Dark Matter Demi, and the little orbs flitted around her like giant, utterly silent flies.

"Good day class, my name is Miss Addie B, though I will answer to Addie or Miss B." Her pale lavender eyes settled on Abathar and I, seating in the center of a wide circle of desks. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet but commanding, "What are your names?"

"Abathar."

"Shirra."

She checked us off on an attendance sheet, her dark eyebrows not so much as twitching at the notes by our names that listed our elements.

"Well," her voice became brisk but hard, "can anyone tell me what a bigot is?"

Silence, not even a cough or a rustle of papers.

"A bigot is an intolerant person; someone who has a strong belief in something, and refuses to accept someone else's views." She swept a meaningful glance at the circle of students who were avoiding Abathar like a plague.

When the silence continued, the pearly gray horn on her forehead turned blacker than the deepest night I had ever seen. Her Dark Matters fled, darting under the desk where she stood. The gentle purple glow that surrounded her winked out as though extinguished. Pure Darkness expanded around her until it coiled along all four walls of the room and the students on the edges shrank back form it.

"I do not tolerate bigots in my classroom," her voice changed, the power of her magic in her very voice until she commanded us all like a drill sergeant at boot camp, "_**You have ten seconds to get your desks in neat and proper rows or I will fail you all!**_"

There was a desperate scramble and the students lined their desks up properly, though they all deliberately leaned away from Abathar as far as their desks allowed.

"_**Proper posture now!"**_ Miss Addie B roared, and a wind swirled and surged around us, whipping papers off of desks, and sending pencils sliding to the floor.

Students sat ramrod straight, eyes wide in fear.

"That's better," she growled, and the wind settled down and the darkness sucked back from the walls and vanished back into our intimidating teacher. A brave Dark Matter peered out from under her desk before leading the reluctant swarm back into the open again, bobbing nervously around her. "In case you didn't realize, I am a Dark and Air combination. I am assuming you know that Abathar is Darkness and Fire. He is an unusual combination, but it is something to be celebrated for the rarity it is and not for an idiotic superstition that labels him evil."

I heard a few nervous gulps around me.

"Lesson one, Darkness is not evil. Neither are any of the other elements. Evil comes from the actions of a living being, not from a faceless, invisible spirit dreamed up by a fool who wanted somebody else to blame for his own foul deeds. I do not demand that you be friends with your fellow students. But I do expect you to treat one another with respect and dignity, as everyone deserves."

She waited a brief moment to be sure that it had sunk in before coming forward with stacks of paper. She passed them to the first student in each row, "This is a class dedicated to hard work and magic. As such, you will be getting homework tonight. Yes," she added to the more normal groans and grumbles from students, "on the first day of class. This is a list of required supplies."

**Required Reading:** Dark Matter Facts

**Tools:** A wand or other object you plan to use to focus your magic (necklace, ring, wand, staff, gem, shard, or other portable object)

**Minion:** A pet or companion who can help you channel your magic

**Supplies:** a three ring binder and a notebook to take notes, pencils, pens, erasers

**Yourself:** an open mind and the dedication to focus on your studies

**NOT REQUIRED!**

Appearances are superficial. As such, I do not expect you to change your color or dress in ridiculous outfits to "look the part." We also do not muck about with incantations or potions. If you want to take part in such activities, sign up for a Potions class at a different hour.

As I read over the list, I found myself being bolstered by optimism. Miss Addie B seemed to be a straightforward, no-nonsense teacher with a true dedication to her magical elements. I suspected that I would learn a great deal in class, and I felt reassured that in this room at least, Abathar was safe.

The rest of the day flew by, and from the snatches of conversation I picked up in the halls, everyone was gossiping that four Angelic pets had vouched for Abathar. I breathed a sigh of relief. Granted the gossip was incredulous, but it was still spreading just the same. And the seed of doubt could be quite useful if it took root enough to stave off violence.

Late in the afternoon, gossip spread like wildfire that many witnesses had seen "The Demon" talking to an Angelic Paralix and neither of them was trying to kill the other. The seed of doubt had taken root. I sent a silent prayer of thanks to Suchil for putting her butterfly effect to work.

Home proved to be a busy affair. The subject of us mages all having pets of our own, known as Minions, had spurred everyone else in the house into a flurry of research and comparison. Mom wryly agreed to get us all one, with the stipulation that the price had to be reasonable and we had to take care of it ourselves, which included training the minion how to go potty in a litter box or outside in the yard.

Those of us who needed a Minion for our magic using spent more time researching possible matches to our power than the others, who chose their minions for looks, temperaments and the like.

My eyes were all for a creature known as a Spixi, a lilac kitty with blue tabby markings and feathery blue wings. Intelligent blue eyes looked up at me from beneath a fuschia gem set on her forehead. Rumor had it that all creatures linked to the fairies, pixies and other fae wore a gem on their foreheads as a focus for their magic.

I reached out to stroke down her back and I felt a magical tingle arc between us like Dark electricity. Rather than hissing in fear, the Minion meowed and clambered up my arm to drape herself around my neck, purring like a little motor.

Azuna, as I called her, was quite expensive; enough that Mom was hesitant to pay for her. Eventually she agreed, on the condition that I not ask for any special treats for a while outside of school supplies.

I agreed and went to my Magic 101 class with her riding on my shoulder. Many students appeared through the door and I was thoroughly disgusted to see Vaishi showing off a twenty five _million_ Subeta Point Minion and lapping up the oohs and aahhs of jealous students.

"So Shirra," Vaishi sashayed up to me, "What do you think of my Pranahera?"

I looked at the snooty looking two-tailed canine and shrugged, "It's cute," I allowed, reaching up to scritch under Azuna's chin, "but I like Spixies better."

As though understanding my words, Azuna gave a little trill of happiness and pressed her face into my hand.

Vaishi snorted in disdain, apparently offended that I wasn't properly awed. "Well I suppose a dirty alley cat is perfect for a less than Scribble con artist turning cheap magic tricks on a street corner." She jeered, turning away.

Azuna screeched in pure fury and jerked her head out of my gently scratching hands. Spitting and arching her back, she leaped onto my desk and uttered a sound somewhere between a croak and a growl. Magic condensed around her, making the air feel tight for a moment. Then there was a blast of energy and Vaishi howled in horror and shock, clutching her tail as it began to warp and twist. Within seconds, it was no longer an elegant Dragarth tail, but a long gray tentacle with a fanged, snake-like mouth on the tip. The tentacle whipped from side to side and hissed. Azuna had transformed her tail into the tail of an Experiment #549.

Amidst the uproar our teacher, a Nightmare Kumos, entered. His black eyes were sharp. "All right! What's going on in here? Which incredibly foolish student has been messing around with transformation magic?"

Making as much fuss as possible, Vaishi pointed at Azuna, whose fluffy tail had doubled in size and the fur along her back still lifted. Azuna gave a low warning yowl and Vaishi jerked her hand back for fear that would be transformed too.

"Oh." The anger seemed to leak out of him and instead he leveled an icy glace at Vaishi. "Then I suppose I had better make the first lesson regarding Minions as clear as possible… _Never insult a fae minion or its master!_"

"But..." Vaishi wailed, her still hissing and snapping tail lashing from side to side.

"Silence!" the teacher commanded. "My name is Professor Chuckles and this is a wake up call to all of you."

Something about his tone of voice killed even the hint of a smile or giggle in spite of his name. Completely at odds, his black smoky fur was ripped in places, the fur parted to show only blackness underneath. The customary dark mist rolled off of him, and none of us had the urge to look more closely at him to see if it was just black skin beneath the fur or whether those tears led to nothing but Darkness hidden beneath a disguise that was falling apart. His eyes were just like Nerrow's, black pits with tiny points of light. His face looked like a bare skull covered in a thin layer of fur. When he spoke, his voice was like a slither and a growl, commanding instant and fearful attention.

"You are getting into the field of magic," Professor Chuckles rumbled, "and there will be NO misbehavior in this class or any other magic class you attend while in this school. You queen bees and wannabes, losers, jocks and other school stereotypes; you _**will**_ be silent unless called upon and you _**will**_ study with the maturity of an adult seeking his or her life career. Your posing, jockeying for position in hierarchy and idiotic behavior is unacceptable. If you cannot behave, I will fail you. And no amount of ranting, raving, or sP waving by your rich influential guardians will save you. _**Are we clear?!**_"

A frightened whimper of assent rolled through the ranks. Even Vaishi's uncontrolled tentacle-tail went still.

"Good." Now, what is your name?" He pointed.

"Vaishi."

"And yours?" He turned that soulless gaze on me.

I had to swallow before squeaking out, "Shirra, sir."

"No 'Sir.' Professor C, or just P.C. Bring, umm," he flicked his gaze to my minion.

"Azuna," I supplied.

"Very well then. Bring Azuna up here."

After examining my minion and Vaishi's tail for a few minutes, he sat back with a grunt. "You are very lucky. If a Fae wants the curse to be permanent, not even Keith can get it off."

There was a shiver as Subeta's creator was mentioned. He blinked slowly and then said coolly to Vaishi, "Apologize."

"I'm sorry," Vaishi muttered sullenly to me.

Azuna spat a hiss and deliberately turned her back on Vaishi.

Professor C gave a gusty sigh and growled, "Apologize to Azuna, and make it more believable than that! Fae can live for centuries, and curses like the one on your tail can last longer than that."

Vaishi opened her mouth, and then seemed to think better of her hot words. She closed it, swallowed, and spoke directly to my Minion. "Azuna, I'm sorry I called you an alley cat, and… I'm sorry I insulted your master. Please turn my tail back?"

Azuna's eyes narrowed into squints as she stared long and hard at Vaishi. The Dragarth looked ready to collapse in despair by the time the little feline flicked a paw through the air. Magic collected in the room again and with a shiver and a snap like a retracting rubber band, the tentacle seemed to bleed back into a proper Dragarth tail as smoothly as if she had taken an elixir.

Vaishi retreated to her table as quickly as she could and I gently scooped up my Spixi.

"I would hope," Professor C growled as I walked down the aisle to my desk, "That the lot of you takes this lesson to heart. You have proven to me that many of you have a lot of growing up to do. Now… open your books to the beginning of Chapter 1. We're going to learn about how you draw upon your magic, and how your Minions assist you in this task."

So saying, he lifted a Devel onto the table at the front of the class. He looked like a cross between a cat and a rabbit, sporting dark fur and blood red on his paws, eartips and on the tip of his spade tail. A collar of blood red fur ringed his neck, and ruby eyes glowed malignantly beneath two tiny horns on the top of his head.

"Meet Lucifer, my Devel," Professor C announced.

Abathar's mouth twisted into a crooked grin, so I suspected the name was a humorous one. The way some students squirmed, I could only assume the joke was a rather dark one.

"To access your magic, I want you to focus on the part of your thoughts that seem to tingle or hum." Professor C lectured, "Draw it to the forefront of your thoughts. You will know that you're doing it right when a glowing mist seems to bubble up from your skin the same way a Nightmare pet's mist rises from their skin.

There was a pause, and then the room slowly filled with a rainbow of softly glowing mists as one by one, students accessed their magic.

"You need to have a connection with your Minion," Professor C added, "a connection based more on a partnership between equals rather than Master and Minion. If you mistreat or fail to respect your minion they will leave, and you will be forced to search for another one who can make the connection to you."

Abathar and I were among the few students who caught on right away. Unfortunately, the Snob Squad was just as quick and made it a point to prance out of the room when the bell rang with their noses in the air.

"I hope their long noses bang into something," Abathar sneered in an undertone, and more than a few students snickered.

Zexion, Abathar's minion who looked like a mini clone of him, reluctantly allowed his master to carry him; proceeding to snap and snarl at students who got too close.

"Hmm like pet like master," I flashed my surly brother a smile before entering my next class.

"Partner," Abathar corrected me, but he dipped his head slightly to show he was pleased.

Vaishi hid from me for the rest of that week, which was a blessing in my mind. Abathar and I practiced learning how to draw upon our magic while our minions helped us channel it. We passed a pop test on gathering our power around us in front of the class. Some students succeeded, some were ordered to practice more or to see Professor C after class to get help.

I made use of a Dark Feather; one of Niyami's shed wing feathers. My blind, Dark Matter Irion, sister assured me through warbles and chirps that she didn't mind. Abathar bought a Dark Crystal Shard, a very powerful tool and one he was pleased to use.

"Some believe that Darkness lies in the soul of every living creature," Professor C lectured to us, a week into the class, "Others insist that there is Light. This is both truthful, and misleading. The truth, my dear students, is that every element can be found within the core that makes us who we are. In each element, there are positive aspects as well as negative. What makes us each unique is how the aspects of each element are arranged. For some, we are balanced in all things. For others, we may lean toward a different alignment."

He paused and for a few heartbeats, there was no sound but the soft scratching of pencils as we all took notes. When he had our attention again he continued, "There is something I want everyone to know and keep in mind… Evil comes from mortal origins."

There was a surprised stir in the classroom. Professor C's eyes narrowed marginally but he let the murmur die down. "There is no such thing as an evil element, or even an evil magic. Magic, for all it's positive and negative aspects, is not good or bad. It simply _is_. Only the will of a mortal can direct magic toward evil uses."

"Yes, Judit?" he asked, indicating a Glade Kora with his paw raised.

"Erm, sir, there are stories… old stories… of evil beings..." His gaze flicked to Abathar, who slowly curled his lip.

To his credit, Professor C didn't blink or even flick his gaze in my brother's direction. "I have heard of these stories. However, in all my years of living in and working with the Dark, and believe me those years have been considerable; I have never encountered one. Not one. Not a single, solitary one. Oh believe me," he paced slowly across the front of the room, sweeping his gaze over the lot of us, "there are many who will scream 'The devil made me do it!' Tell me in a show of hands, who thinks that these claims could be true?"

I ground my beak in disgust as several paws shot up in the air.

"Really?" his voice was still mild, though his black gaze had hardened, "Do you really believe somebody when he points his finger at somebody else and lays the blame on them? Would you put up with it if a younger brother or sister broke a lamp while you weren't even home and then they claimed that you did it?"

The paws dropped and many students looked shamefaced.

"Integrity is never easy," Professor C said more calmly, "It is much easier to lay the blame of someone or something else, even if it is imagined. Those who commit evil know that it is evil, and only when confronted will they try to weasel out of taking responsibility for their actions."

He glanced at the clock and nodded slowly to himself, "On that note, this leads us to homework for today." Ignoring the groans, he wrote out the assignment on the white board. "Every student is to choose a sibling or barring that, your owner, mom, dad, or whatever you call them. Use your newfound powers to find the balance of elements in their heart and write it down. Page 53 tells you how to search a soul for their elemental alignments. Make a diagram or some sort of visual representation and turn it in tomorrow. Be thorough now! I want you to put as much detail about which points of the elements are strongest, and which are the weakest."

The bell rang and we all filed out the door. I didn't have anyone specifically in mind but for the moment, I put it out of my mind. Tonight I would take a look around. We were now a full twenty strong; Orreo the Angelic Keeto had filled the last room in our massive house. I liked him well enough, and even he accepted Abathar without a twitch of an eyebrow. But something inside me seemed to be uncomfortable poking around in the souls of the angelic siblings.


	5. Chapter 5

Anyone interested in seeing the species and colors of the pets mentioned in this story can find them at:

/\/\/\/\/\/\

I sat in the front room and closed my eyes, calling up a thin thread of magic and sent it questing throughout the house. Once after another it bypassed my other siblings until it stopped at a doorway. Very gently, I sought within the room. The darkness inside was so intense that I sucked in a deep horrified breath and lurched to my feet.

It was like standing on the edge of a barren, lonely plain, spider webbed with cracks. Some were thin enough to be thinner than a silk thread. Others were so wide and broken that they could catch your foot and make you fall. Loneliness, terror, helplessness… and an incredible fragility that made soap bubbles seem like concrete by comparison.

I was shaking uncontrollably as I drew back from the fragmented soul in the upstairs bedroom. Who could it be? Nerrow wasn't like that. He was strong and tough. I could feel him, scarred deep in his soul but going strong; eating one of Lacoda's cookies and stirring batter in the kitchen. It wasn't Mercolo. He showed evidence of having been broken and repaired in the distant past, but he was outside, romping with Mavhai.

I made my silent, stealthy way upstairs and peered in the room where that broken mind resided. And there stood Oreah, all alone in her bedroom; the place where she always hid. No amount of coaxing or cajoling would draw the Glacier Lain out. I always thought she was antisocial like Abathar. But now I realized that she was horribly traumatized.

Not noticing me, Oreah was playing with a crystal dangling in her window, tapping it with her beak and watching the cloud of tiny rainbows dance and swing across her walls. It was a simple room, furnished comfortably as all of ours were. A very tattered Pre-Loved Plushie sat on her bed. But there was nothing else inside the room to make it hers.

My eyes blurred with tears and I slipped away as quietly as I'd come. I drew Mom away from the others and confronted her about my sister's plain room.

"Oh sweetie," Mom knelt next to me, "The room looks the way it does because I can't get her to tell me anything. She freezes up."

"Then I'll get her something," I said resolutely. "Just as soon as I think about what it might be…" I pondered the question as I wrote out my homework assignment. _What do you get someone who's deathly afraid of people, but also desperately lonely?_

After a long afternoon, it clicked. Mom approved of my plan and I darted off to the marketplace with sP tucked safely into a sack around my neck. It was short work to make my purchase and take flight, on my way back home.

I took a deep breath, let it out, and knocked gently on the doorframe of Oreah's room before stepping just inside the door.

Oreah huddled at the head of her bed, nearly flattened against the windowpane and as far away from me as physically possible. Her feathers were lifted to make herself look as large as possible, even as her beak was buried in the feathers of her back in fear. Pale blue eyes, wide and unblinking, were locked on me as though to look away for even a split second was to put her life in jeopardy. Every feather quivered with the power of her terrified shivering and the tension that sang through the muscles beneath her feathers.

I had to swallow past a throat that was suddenly too tight to speak. _Oh sweet Creator, what has been done to her?_ I wanted to cry but I knew crying wouldn't help, and indeed, might throw her into a panic. She certainly wouldn't know how to react to the sight of someone crying. And adding confusion and helplessness to a situation that already had her terrified was certainly not the way to go.

"Hey Oreah," I spoke the words softly, "You don't really know me but I'm Shirra, your sister."

Silence. No motion.

"I…I thought you might… might like a little something for your room. Something to help you feel safer. A little anyway." I carefully reached into my sack and withdrew the item I had bought less than an hour earlier.

"This is Bane," I told her, "and he's an Archan Plushie. He's called Bane because he's the Bane of evil, and he's promised to do his duty even while you're asleep. Wherever you put him, he'll be on guard for you."

I stretched my arm out as far as it would go without invading her space any more than I already had and set the plushie on the floor, where it could watch the doorway. I started to back out of the room and then paused, "Oh," I said, offering her a smile, "Do you want to know a secret? Plushies are very good about listening to your fears and comforting you without judging you. A plushie will never give away your deepest or darkest thoughts."

A blink.

A single blink.

Was that a gesture of understanding? Or were her eyes just dry from staring for so long? I didn't know, and either way, I had pressed myself upon her long enough. I bowed out the door and padded back downstairs. Mission accomplished.

That evening, as I made my way to bed, I risked a quick peek into Oreah's room. Bane had been moved.

No longer at the foot of her bed where I had left him, the plushie had been set just inside the door and arranged into a protective crouch. Moonlight filtering in past the curtains made the plushie's yellow eyes glow faintly. Bane was doing his job and guarding the door, just as I had promised Oreah he would.

"Take good care of her Bane." I told the plushie quietly, "She needs you."

As I turned and padded on to my room, I caught sight of a slight motion in the shadows, and could feel Oreah's eyes tracking me until I was out of sight. She had seen Bane doing his duty; I had not passed the guardian plushie at the doorway. He had repelled my invasion.

I carefully monitored Oreah's soul over the next few days. When I felt that the anxiety over the strange plushie in her room had faded, I made my second purchase.

I stopped in Oreah's doorway as she again huddled, watching me with wide and frightened eyes. I carefully didn't step past Bane's position as I pulled another plushie out of the bag. "This is Dreamcatcher," I introduced them, "And he's a Twilight Harvester Plushie." The plushie, like any normal Harvester pet, was draped in a heavy cloak that hid its face and carried a plushie version of a scythe; like a grim reaper. "Dreamcatcher has been training to scare away bad dreams." I set the plushie down in front of Bane so that they could get acquainted.

That evening, I could just see Dreamcatcher's glass purple eyes gleaming from his perch on the headboard; watching over her as she slept. Apparently, Bane… and Oreah… thought he checked out okay.

As I trained up my magic and monitored my sister's progress, I could see a definite lightening of the darkness that overwhelmed Oreah's soul. Some of the cracks had begun to close. There was still a lot of damage, but the healing process seemed to be progressing.

The Twilight Archan Plushie named Stealth found a place on a dresser: able to keep an eye on both the closet and under the bed from her perfect ambush position.

The Cuddly Luna Plushie dubbed Comfort was nestled on the bed, curled lovingly around the Pre-Loved Plushie.

***

The sun sank behind the house as Abathar and I stood facing one another in the gathering darkness. As one, we reached deep within ourselves and called upon our powers.

Darkness gathered around my paws like four separate puddles. The Darkness quickly grew and spread, forming a small lake that rapidly sprouted tendrils. Like a bush growing at high speed, thin tendrils snaked upward and criss-crossed over one another; sometimes coiling and twining up my legs for support, other times simply snaking a tentacle up to slither through the dark purple fur along my side. Blackness seeped into my fur and feathers before flaring up and radiating outward, engulfing me entirely with the blaze of black. I raised my wings high over my head and flared them, the darkness blazing up from each feather until I felt like a black sun.

Abathar's magic was different. It responded differently, and acted different. Where my Darkness had grown upward like a living thing, Abathar's Darkness combined with Fire, and moved like it. As though it were a forest fire consuming tinder, his Dark Fire flared to almost instant wakefulness, licking and spreading up his legs. He was consumed by black flames in seconds, a soft crackling surrounding him. His cold blue eyes vanished beneath a wave of darkness before they reappeared, smoldering like twin blood red coals amid a sea of writhing darkness.

He took a single step, bracing his legs as though preparing for an attack and opened his jaws, revealing perfect white teeth in a mouth that seemed to have developed a tongue of pure red flame. Abathar snarled a challenge at the night sky and his power roared upward in a pillar of searing heat and light consuming darkness. Zexion threw back his head and howled; the sound reverberating off of the back wall of the house and the column tightened and focused, looming over me and leaning forward like a massive tree about to fall.

Not to be outdone, I opened my beak and screeched a challenge. Azuna answered my cry with a yowl of defiance and I felt her wrap her focus around my will, strengthening it. Tendrils that rapidly thickened into massive coils like a dozen massive Serpenths and shot upward with a speed that defied the mortal eye's ability to track them. Darkness lanced up and impacted the shell of Dark Fire, shoving it back and slowly, inexorably forcing it upright.

Abathar growled low in his throat and heaved his power forward, for an instant breaking free of my hold and beginning the horrible fall toward me. Testing our power and our wills, neither one of us would let our power harm the other. Nevertheless, it was an intimidating and impressive sight, and in a split second I grunted and the tentacles of darkness wrapped around the column of Dark Fire, thickening and strengthening when he tried to shake me off. I wrestled his magic upright and held it for the count of three before releasing it, signifying the end of practice.

With the sound of a thousand candles being blown out at once, Abather's magic wavered and then dissipated, blood red eyes returning to blue. I sighed and the tentacles of Dark sucked back downward and dissolved into fine mist before disappearing altogether.

"Good match," Abathar puffed.

"Yeah. Finally got you." I offered him a weak smile, even as my legs trembled lightly from the effort.

"Almost didn't, but you rallied well," Abathar dipped his head to me in respect. "I vote we settle this with something chocolate."

"I second that," I agreed, then turned with a start of surprise when I heard hands clapping.

"Well done," Mom called to us, from the safe distance away near the back door, "Very well done, if dramatic. It looks like you two are progressing well in your classes."

A wave of warmth washed through me, which turned to embarrassment as Mom added, "Though I wish you would warn us when you're going to go practice. Both Mercolo and Lacoda detected the swell of power from both of you and practically ran me down as I came home, babbling in alarm about you two going to war."

"Sorry," Abathar mumbled.

"Yeah sorr- Oreah!" I gasped, spotting the Glacier Lain at mom's feet.

Out in the sun, I could still see the remnants of her past; tattered and shredded white feathers covered her from the neck down, reminding me of very old, very crumbly lace. Strong sleek feathers showed here and there amid the ruined cloak that enveloped her, showing where healthy feathers were beginning to grow back in.

"Yeah… funny thing," Mom added, "No amount of cajoling would get her to leave her room any other time, but when you two started that dramatic duel she came flying downstairs as though the upper floors were on fire. She left a trail of ruined feathers behind her and scrabbled like a mad thing at the back door, trying to get out to you two."

My silent sister gave an odd leaping lurch across the ground, giving her ruined wings determined flaps to help her traverse the distance between us. She landed between my brother and me and spread her wings to their fullest, forcing the two of us to hastily separate to give her room. Looking from one to the other wildly, she flared and then fanned her wings vigorously, her beak open in a soundless cry of distress.

"I think that means 'no fighting'." Abathar rumbled, his voice a lot gentler than I'd ever heard him, "H-Hey… Oreah… we weren't fighting… y'know… for real." Obviously Abathar had no experience being comforting, though he managed to be pretty convincing despite the awkwardness in his tone.

"Oh Oreah, you thought we were going to hurt each other?" sympathy washed through me, "We were… I guess you could call it 'wrestling' with our magic. We were practicing. I'm sorry." I crouched low so that my eyes were on level with hers, "I'm so sorry we scared you. We should have explained. We should have told everybody."

Oreah's dilated pupils slowly shrank as she calmed down. She gave herself a little shake, scattering another few ruined feathers. I wanted to hug her, but didn't dare; she still had no concept of touch as being comforting outside of her plushies. If my hug spooked her, she would struggle, maybe even bite and claw to escape.

Instead, I crouched down even lower and folded my wings, nodding to my back, "Would you like a lift? I'll carry you back to your room if you'd like."

Her eyes widened and she blinked twice, slowly, before tentatively stepping forward. She crouched, and then gave a little leap, fluttering her wings for what little lift they could give her. She landed heavily, her feet scrabbling for a hold for a second, her wings frantically flapping for balance. Then she slowly settled, her feet tightly gripping the thick fur that covered my shoulders. I waited until she was completely settled before slowly rising back to my paws again.

With her wings half-unfurled for balance, I made the trip back to her bedroom as smooth as possible. Bane was crouching in the doorway, vigilant as ever in his task. I stopped and dipped my head respectfully to him, and was surprised to feel a tentative preening of the fur at the back of my neck. Taking it as permission to enter, I lined myself up with Oreah's bed and let her hop across.

Not for the first time, I wondered who had traumatized and damaged this beautiful bird so badly that she couldn't speak and shied away from everyone.

As awkwardly as ever, the Glacier Lain waddled across the bed and crouched next to Comfort, preening the long fur of the plushie's tail anxiously. Something was odd with her legs. Granted her claws, like that of an eagle, were made for grasping and not for walking. But her legs just didn't seem right, and I couldn't put my finger on it. Were they splayed so wide for balance on awkward claws, or had she been hurt somehow?

Before I left the room, I delicately touched Oreah's soul.


	6. Chapter 6

Anyone interested in seeing the species and colors of the pets mentioned in this story can find them at:

/\/\/\/\/\/\

It was still dark, but the cracks had faded and the fragments had melded significantly. The barren plane of her soul felt more solid, though still quite fragile. It also felt marginally warmer. I let out a small sigh of relief; suspecting that we had forged a bond, even if it was delicate as of yet.

I padded toward my room, letting the connection that allowed me to see her soul slip gently from my grasp. Then a fragment of memory drifted up and the power of it sucked me in.

_Dusk Lain. Always in cage. Never taken out. No love. Little attention. Humans. Boys. Take me out. Strangers. Don't know. Struggle. Flap ruined wings. A laugh. "Watch this." Seized tightly in both hands. Lifted up. A table. Slammed down on hard surface. Legs give way, splayed. Pain. Throbbing. Agony! A shrill scream from my own beak. Pain again, a blow to the face. "Shut up!" Pain! Pain! Legs won't work. Shoved back into cage. Can't move. Face hurts. Legs hurt. Food not changed in days. Filthy water._

The memory released me abruptly. I collapsed in the hallway. I couldn't move. My throat closed. I couldn't get enough air into my lungs, even as I gasped for it like a stranded fish. My front legs throbbed with pulses of phantom pains, a memory made real in my own body. Tears screamed down my face as I sobbed silently into the thick carpet. _Oh sweet goddess Shinwa! They deliberately broke her legs by slamming her onto a table! And they hit her to shut her up!_

I wanted to scream but couldn't make a sound. I wanted to flee to my room and cry but my legs didn't seem to be answering my commands. I have no idea how long I lay at the head of the stairs, but Silverserri –an Angelic Kumos and Lacoda's twin sister– found me as I flopped feebly, trying to get my legs under me. A pair of small pools from my tears soaked slowly into the carpet as Silverserri did a double take and then screamed "MOOOOM!" at the top of her lungs.

Her paws pressed against my ribcage and feeling my heart beating, too fast, and my sides heaving, too hard. "Don't move! Did you hit your head? What happened? Shirra! Can you speak?"

A choked cry, high and thready, squeaked out of my mouth.

"Okay, keep still, Mom's coming."

Was my head pounding, or was it footsteps? I still couldn't get enough air; and so for the first time in my life, I fainted.

***

My world was filled with a soft blue glow. Warm and comforting, I drifted in it. It certainly felt better than that horrendous nightmare I had experienced. Had it been a nightmare? It had felt like one.

As the blue light drifted away, voices drifted in to replace it.

"Did anyone see what happened?"

"I just found her laying there at the head of the stairs. I couldn't find anything wrong with her except for her breathing and her heartbeat. I've eased those down. She's safe to move."

"Unf," arms hooked beneath me and I felt myself being carried downstairs.

A ragged groan finally forced its way out of my throat, and as I was settled down onto the soft couch in our living room, warm blue light filled my world again.

With a supreme effort, I opened my eyes to find my head in Mom's lap and Serri with her paws pressed to my ribcage again. The blue glow was emanating from her paws and soaking into my fur.

"Nausea, but no concussion. I don't understand. She's not hurt. Why is her body acting like this? It's like she experienced a severely traumatic injury, but she's physically fine."

"Oreah," I rasped.

Mom pressed a glass to my beak and I obediently drank. "What about her?"

"I know what happened to her," I whispered hoarsely, "I was sucked into her memories when I touched her soul to see how she's progressing. They hurt her… they… they broke both of her legs. They hit her when she cried in pain. They stuffed her into an itty-bitty cage like a possession and left her legs to heal broken. They starved her. Gave her filthy water... I… I want to kill them, Mom." I whispered, fresh tears streaming down my face.

"Oh, baby…" Mom hugged me softly.

"I've seen some seriously fucked up shit, but I've never, ever seen anything like that before. H-How c-could they…?" My voice rasped painfully and I took another drink of water.

"The world can be a bad place, Shirra." The low growl drew my eyes to Alkuma, who was sitting on the floor, her solemn green eyes locked on mine. "People can be bastards. They do cruel things. Often there is no real motive behind it beyond a simple lack of empathy. Most of us here… we've been through that Hell. Either before we were adopted, or remnants of a past life before our souls were… drawn here from another world." her gaze swept over Lacoda, Mavhai, and Mercolo, who nodded grimly in turn.

I looked up at Mom, expecting to feel my sick hatred of those boys transferred to her. But her blue eyes were sad and wise, and I knew without ever reaching out to her soul, that she was not like them. I had known… but I hadn't _**KNOWN**_, you know?

"This home is more than a family," she told me quietly, "It is also a sanctuary. We all learn to love and be loved here. Even if we don't all understand what happened to the other one, we also don't cast them out for that lack of understanding."

"I can Heal Oreah's legs, but they may have to be re-broken in order to set them properly." Silverserri's eyes were kind. "I'll need your help, if you can manage it."

"Why… Why weren't her legs Healed before now?" I took a deep breath and tried to get my feet underneath me. They trembled slightly, but they were supporting my weight.

"We couldn't. We couldn't get her to stay still long enough to check her over and forcing her was just going to make it worse. She's begun to trust you. She may let me take care of her legs if you're there to help her."

I nodded.

Oreah was not happy at the concept of letting Silverserri touch her already hurting legs. I promised I would be with her the whole time and Silverserri promised that the pain would be quick: there and gone in only a second.

Silverserri gently felt along the delicate bones before nodding in satisfaction. "The breaks aren't bad. If they had been shattered, Oreah would be completely crippled right now… if she had survived. Close your eyes."

I crouched next to Oreah on the bed and closed my own eyes as I very gently preened the neck feathers of my sister.

I heard a sharp click and the Glacier Lain jerked next to me. Blue light seemed to squeeze past my closed lids.

"Good, good." Silverserri murmured. "The bone is straight, and it's healing well. Your legs will be tender for a day, but my magic is making the bone heal instantly. One more time; close your eyes."

There was another click and a strangled squeak from Oreah. I pressed my beak into her neck feathers as she trembled hard.

"We're done. We're done. No more." I opened my eyes to see my sister let go of Oreah's leg, the last wisps of her Healing magic vanishing. "You were very brave Oreah," she soothed, "I'll get you some food, you'll be hungry after your body catches up with itself."

Oreah shivered and hunkered down on the comforter of her bed. I could only offer so much comfort; chances are she was reliving the original break just as I had.

"Never again," I murmured, and she shot me a surprised glance out of the corner of her pale blue eyes, "Those boys will never touch you again. If they dare show their faces around here, I'll show them what pain _really_ is."

Oreah tilted her head, a question in her eyes.

I explained to her how I had seen her soul, and been sucked into the memory of her injuries. She shivered slightly again and pressed her beak against my shoulder. I spent the afternoon there, just crouched by Oreah and giving her what comfort I could.

***

Classes with Miss Addie B in Dark 101 and Professor C in Magic 101 progressed steadily. Both teachers were impressed by my progress, and Abathar wasn't far behind. I still sat with Hex and Rask, and we both invited Abathar to eat with us.

It was the afternoon after a particularly successful class when some fanatic decided that Abathar had been tolerated for long enough.

"Demon!" shrieked a voice, and I gasped in shock as a wave of cold water splashed down on Abathar, spraying me in the process.

Abathar's eyes narrowed and his lip drew back from his teeth furiously. Water dripped gently from his fur onto the sidewalk below.

"What the hell?" I demanded angrily, trying to shake the water from my backpack. "I have textbooks in this thing!"

"Not in Hell anymore, just from it," snarled a voice. "The power of God commands you! Go back to the pit where you were spawned, foul demon!"

"Fuck off," Abathar announced, shaking water from his fur, "Obviously your holy water didn't work."

"The power of-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, the power of Rice compels me. Or is that Lice…. Mice?" He tilted his head, "Dice?"

"Nice?" I supplied. "Vice?"

"Oooh I like that. The power of Vice compels me." Abathar laughed harshly.

"Do not mock Jesus!" I turned around finally to see a woman waving some sort of book and a talisman of two intersecting lines at the two of us.

"You know anybody by that name?" I asked my brother.

"Nuh uh."

"I have God on my side and he shall cast out the demons and send them to the fiery pit!" She began loudly saying some sort of incantation.

Curious, I examined her through my magic, but nothing was rising. No magic. No power. The symbols she carried, which should have hummed with energy, were silent and inert. Either the symbols were false, or she was using them for the wrong purpose. Professor C had explained to us that some symbols only activate when they are near the subject they are designed for.

Bored, I bumped Abathar's shoulder with my beak, "Maybe if we ignore her, she'll go away."

"I doubt it," he retorted sourly, but he turned with me and we walked for two blocks, the woman following us and loudly calling out her incantations and drawing quite a crowd.

When it was obvious that she would keep following us and yelling her idiotic words, I spun around and glared at her.

"Go the fuck away!" I yelled at her, "We haven't done anything to you."

"Demon of the Darkness, your lies will not trick me!" the woman screamed, "Be gone from the planes of this earth forevermore." She stormed right up to me and thrust her intersecting lines into my face.

I blinked dryly as it pressed against my feathers. A faint tingle, gentle and warm coursed through me from the symbol, washing through me and back again. Apparently whatever or whoever was powering the symbols had no objection to me.

"Was that supposed to do something?" I asked flatly.

She waved the book around, yelling more idiocy until I shoved it out of my face, turned my back on her and walked back to where Abathar was watching, a spark of anxiety flickering through his eyes.

"I'm fine," I murmured in an undertone to him, "Whatever powers that stuff, it obviously has no objection to Dark magic."

"Duh," he growled in an undertone, "It's supposed to work on Evil. Why do you think the Holy water didn't hurt us?"

"Somebody should tell her that," I said crossly as the woman charged around in front of me and blocked our path.

When Abathar tried to walk past her, she kicked him, hard, in the ribs.

Abathar's yelp of pain sent a bolt of pure energy through me, "You BITCH!" I screeched, rearing up.


	7. Chapter 7

Anyone interested in seeing the species and colors of the pets mentioned in this story can find them at:

/\/\/\/\/\/\

The crowd murmured, either in appreciation or fear as Dark tendrils sprouted out of the shadows beneath my paws and wound around me with a speed that made our practice bouts look like slow motion.

The woman babbled about protection, clutching the symbol. Manners and respect for her beliefs were gone now. I slammed a tentacle of Dark into her book, punching a hole halfway through its thick collection of pages and slamming her backward into the wall of a building.

She began to laugh breathlessly. "You see!" she gasped, "God protects me from your unholy power!"

"Does he now," came a low deadly growl from behind me.

I started as Abathar, enveloped in his Dark Fire stepped past me, his eyes blazing the dark red that meant he was calling upon both to protect him. "Your God cannot help you now." His growl was low, but it cut through the cries of shock and fear as he reached out and ripped the symbol from the woman's hands.

She shrieked as he squeezed the metal tightly in a fist. Black flames blazed up and a second later, the melted symbol dripped through his fingers to the ground into a useless pool of molten slag. "Not so tough now are you?" he jeered, seizing the book and incinerating it. "Shall I take your soul next? If you think I'm a demon, maybe I should start acting like one!"

The woman bolted past me, skirting my tendrils of Dark, and fleeing down the street. I let my power melt away as I stepped anxiously up to his side. My voice was clear in the silence that enveloped the crowd, "Did she hurt you?"

"My ribs are bruised," he replied, "But I don't think she broke anything."

The first rock flew past our heads. I gasped in shock and fury and turned on the crowd. Several others picked up rocks as well. One shouted something hateful, and soon they were all screaming viciously and throwing rocks. I blocked several from landing with tendrils of Dark magic.

"Shirra!" Abathar hissed sharply in my ear, "We can't fight them all!"

"Watch me." My voice went cold and flat. A tentacle as thick as a man's chest lashed out, seizing one of the people and lifting him bodily into the air.

Abathar seized my left hind leg in a painful grip in his jaws, "Sis, no." he growled around my leg, "They are filth. Don't waste your time on them. We're almost home."

"…" I paused, eyeing the frantically struggling human in my grip and the large rock he still clutched in his hands. Someone drew a Six-Shooter and that decided me. Tough as I was, there were only two of us, and six bullets in that weapon. I released my captive, letting him fall painfully on his feet from a height of only two feet in the air.

"Come on!" He whirled and fled with me in hot pursuit. Shouts of triumph rose from the mob behind us as they set off in hot pursuit.

As one, we vaulted the low picket fence that edged our yard.

"Hey!" Alkuma shouted as we landed almost on top of her, "Shirra! Abathar what..." Her ears snapped to full attention and she stared down the street, "...the fuck?"

She looked at the two of us, our sides heaving, and at the approaching mob. Both ears flattened against her skull and she picked up her Aemis with every tooth in her head bared. I silently blessed Alkuma's habit of frequently polishing the legendary crossbow in the front yard.

"Explanations later," she told us flatly, "Get your asses inside. _**NOW!**_ And get Mom and anyone else who happens to be in there."

We staggered inside, nearly colliding with Quitzel, who was coming to the front door to see what the noise was about.

A loud rushing sound swelled to a roar and a heavy WHUMP noise. There were human yelps of shock and I peered out the front window to see the lynch mob pile to a stop in front of a brand new hole in the street. Coolly Alkuma hooked a razor sharp claw over the string and pulled it taut. There was a soft crackle, and then a hum as a bolt of pure Air magic formed on the weapon.

Several members of our family piled into the front room and peered out, drawn by the noise of the crowds and the roar of Alkuma's weapon being fired.

"First asshole to set foot on our property gets it at close range," Alkuma's voice announced, sighting the people at the front of the crowd.

Mom gently guided us outside, a hand on each of our shoulders.

"There they are!" someone yelled from the crowd, but though they shuffled around a bit, no one dared take a step closer.

"Well this is interesting," commented a new voice.

A young woman stood off to the side of the mob, a red uniform labeling her as an Administrator. Pale blue eyes took in the scene calmly and she gently tapped her palm with her notebook.

The mob was completely silent now, and several of them were shuffling their feet. A quick tendril of magic showed me that they were all suddenly awkward and shamefaced before the calm intelligence of the authorities.

"This is _**very**_ interesting," she said into the silence. "A ticket was written up claiming that two pets attacked a woman in the streets, and I find a lynch mob being held at bay by an extremely well known fighter in the Coliseum." Her gaze flicked to Alkuma, who dipped her head slightly in acknowledgement but her aim did not waver.

"Alkuma?" I blinked in surprise that this Admin knew my sister by name, "Would you kindly explain what you know of this?"

"Not a whole lot Miss Gunblade." She eased her stance and gently relaxed the tension on the crossbow's string. With a soft crackle, the powerful bolt of Air magic dissipated harmlessly. "My sister and my brother came flying over our fence in a panic with these… people in hot pursuit. I decided to fend them off now, ask questions later."

"So I see," Gunblade glanced at the hole in the asphalt, which still trailed tiny wisps of smoke. She sighed and straightened. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I remind you that taking the Rules into your own hands is strictly forbidden? If you feel that someone has broken a Rule, you are to take it up with an Administrator or a Moderator, and _**not**_ try to directly handle the situation yourself."

There was some uncomfortable muttering and the crowd began to break up.

"Oh no you don't!" Abathar snarled angrily, "You don't get to just disappear! These people threw rocks at us! And one had a six-shooter."

I nodded in agreement.

"_Really._" Gunblade eyed each person and narrowed her eyes. She flicked on a walkie-talkie and spoke quietly into it. Within moments, several uniformed people closed in on the street and took charge of everyone in the mob.

She turned back to us, "I am here to investigate a ticket filled out regarding two demons, by the names of Shirra and Abathar, for attacking a woman down the street."

"Attacking her?!" I demanded incredulously, "She kicked my brother!"

Gunblade sighed, "May I come in? I want the full story from both of you."

Alkuma grunted and unlatched the front gate, aiming her Aemis at the ground and picking up her discarded polishing cloth a few seconds later.

Gunblade drew both of us aside and talked to us separately, getting the story from each of us and taking detailed notes.

Finally, she sat back with a sigh and put her notebook away. "Well, it seems to be that your attacking her was in retaliation to an assault. The rules are very clear about violence toward another, be they human or Subeta pet, outside of the Coliseum. In your case, self-defense is your saving throw against some very severe punishments. I can't finalize this without comparing notes to my fellow Administrators, but this is pretty clear-cut to me. The ticket submitted was, quite frankly, not particularly descriptive about her exact role in this whole thing."

Hesitantly I asked, "So… nothing will be done?"

"Nothing concrete, no. But I _will_ be sure to post a reminder on the News bulletin that assaulting another person or pet outside of the Battle Coliseum is strictly prohibited. And…" she favored the two of us with a slightly stern glance, "try not to be the one actually picking fights, you two."

"We won't," I promised, relief making my wings sag.

Abathar nodded curtly and rumbled, "Agreed."

"Good." Her smile turned kind, "In the meantime, I suggest you folks lay low for a little while. We'll sort this out in a day or two, so your best bet is to avoid stirring up more trouble."

"Thankfully it's Friday," I sighed as the door closed behind her, "What would we do if we had to go back to school after all that mess, and no official report to back us up?"

"Call in sick," Mom told us in a no-nonsense voice.

I blinked at her.

She sighed, "Come into the kitchen. We could all use some of Lacoda's cooking. Back to the subject at hand," she continued when we had all gotten a cookie each, "I don't like you missing out on your classes, but I won't risk your safety for your education."

"It looks like that bridge is burned," Abathar muttered darkly, "The rumors will be all over school that I attacked someone. The truth has a bad habit of not being as juicy as the gossip, which means it won't spread very fast, if at all."

"That depends on what the truth is." Nerrow rumbled, "Look, we can't stop the rumors from flying for now, but Gunblade will be done sorting things out by the end of the weekend. Of all the things Admins are known for, it's handling a problem. They'll make it public, which means that we can use it for our own means."

"How do you figure?" I asked.

"Simple. It's a juicy tidbit to hear that an Admin vouches for Abathar."

I sighed, "People are bigoted enough to believe Abathar just corrupted her."

"There's no stopping that." Mom told us gently, "People will believe what they want to believe, not just what's right or true. Many go to great lengths to twist something out of context in order to fit their own ideals, including religious books. However, Gunblade will make a public announcement. Either way, things are working into our favor. Looks like Suchil's butterfly effect powers are working."

I had forgotten that. Suchil hadn't been seen in public since she had drifted down to talk to Abathar in front of the whole school. Yet from that, things had swelled in support for Abathar to counteract the negative. Come to think of it, so had Kehai's Lucky Nose Beep. The woman who had kicked Abathar was being investigated. The people who had thrown rocks had either missed or been blocked by me. They too were in custody. Those working against us, and my brother especially, were being thwarted at every turn. Students were being lectured against their prejudices by teachers with the power of Fail grades.

The weekend proved to be…interesting to say the least.

A Dawn Malticorn knocked on our door. Hoshika was nearest the door so she was the one to answer it. I stood just a little behind her in case someone actually grew the balls to hurt or grab her.

"Hi!' The Malticorn chirped in a creepy sort of cheerful voice, "I just wanted to say that we don't want you in our neighborhood because you're evil and disgusting and you'll burn in Hell for harboring that demon. So move out okay?"

Hoshika froze, her fluffy tail foofing even more until it was twice the size of her body from shock.

I stepped up next to my sister and glowered at the bitch. "You aren't welcome on our property. Please leave or I will call the authorities."

"No problem," the Malticorn chirped again, "You're all going to burn in Hell anyway. Unless of course you send him back where he belongs and change your lives around to become normal people. I've delivered my message, so just leave okay?" She skipped off down the path to our gate and closed it behind her.

Gently I guided Hoshika back from the door and closed it. She was still in shock, her eyes wide and blank, and an expression of horror on her face. She moved only when I guided her and stopped the instant I stopped touching her.

I sighed deeply, "Hoshika…"

Her name seemed to snap her out of it. Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked at me. "Sis… I... I'm sorry. I sh-should've slapped her or something but her words were so wrong that I…"

"Don't worry about it;" I growled gruffly, "attacking her wouldn't change her mind, and you'd just get in trouble anyway."

Another knock at the door. The fur along my spine lifted in fury and I yanked the door open, "Listen you nasty little bigoted bitch-"I snarled, then stopped in surprise.

A Glacier Montre flinched back slightly, and then a wry expression drifted across his expression. "Uh oh," he sighed, "Apparently I'm too late to warn you about the resident viper." He held up a bag that smelled tantalizingly of chocolate, "I'm Marendithas, and whatever that Malticorn said, I promise you not all of us feel that way."

"I thought I heard you out here," Alkuma rumbled from behind me, and I jumped slightly, "You may as well come in."

I quickly made room for him. If Alkuma knew him, he would be an okay guy.

He dipped his head to me in a gesture of respect and took the sack into the kitchen before joining us, "I brought brownies." He explained, "I thought you folks could use some support."

"Thank you. We really could use some." I took a seat across from him at our dining room table. Briefly, I wondered how our chairs would handle the sharp ice shards that hung from his tail and wings, but relaxed when I saw that his wings folded neatly on his back and his tail dangled from the back of the chair. The ice was neatly located elsewhere.

"Well then this should make you quite happy," He spread a sheet of paper on the table and passed it to us. "It's on the News bulletin and there are fliers there for people to take home with them to read."

Posted by Gunblade

Hello everyone. It seems I have the unhappy duty of reminding everyone about certain Rules. Subeta is a world of diversity. As such, the Rules are clear; you may not attack –physically or verbally– or harass another user or their pets due to differences in opinion, gender, race, color, ethnicity, disability, religion, or sexual orientation. Breaking ANY of the Rules can result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of your access to our world. If you feel that you and another user or pet cannot get along, then it is up to you to remove yourself from their presence and use physical distance, not physical force, to disarm the situation.

"Huh. They play hardball." Abathar grunted.

"They have to;" Marendithas sat back, "some people have to be intimidated into behaving."

"So that's it then," I gently pushed the paper back, "we just have to wait until Gunblade finishes the official report."

"If I may be so bold," Marendithas began hesitantly, changing the subject, "may I ask your origins?" His gaze rested on Abathar curiously.

The fur on either side of the spiky fin that ran down Abathar's spine prickled suspiciously, "Why?"

"I enjoy adding to my knowledge," he replied primly, "and you are not the only ones who are outcasts because you are potentially dangerous."

A spark of interest flickered through Abathar's eyes and he relaxed slightly. "I am a… I guess you could say I'm an elemental. I was summoned into this world by magic. Memories of where I was before are really hazy. All I knew was that I could draw on both elements, and that I had to fight my way free of those who summoned me. Everyone I met before I ended up in the pound shunned me. I was attacked… often… until Mom adopted me. Needless to say, I don't like religious people in general."

"They're not all bad," Maren assured us. "But I can see where you'd have clashes with them. Especially those who read the older, harsher parts of their holy books."

I could feel my claws flex angrily. "Any deity that promotes violence and prejudice against those who are different is not a deity of good."

"Can't argue with that," Maren said with a smile.

We talked for the rest of the afternoon, learning about him. People approached our yard all day, some to spit on our fence, some to walk brazenly up to the door and proclaim something or other about demons, damnation, and hell. But some took a different approach: one neighbor posted fliers all up and down the neighborhood about tolerance and acceptance. We found numerous gifts on our doorstep from anonymous people; Mom opened them all with a baseball bat in one hand. Many of them included supportive notes and an item. Some were long rants that included profanity and insults, but Mom just sold the free items for sP in her shop.

A knock on our door Sunday afternoon turned out to be Gunblade with a copy of a rather thick report. The smile she gave us loosened the knot in my chest.


	8. Chapter 8

Anyone interested in seeing the species and colors of the pets mentioned in this story can find them at:

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"It's done," she assured us. "Eyewitness reports, as well as your own statements confirm that the woman who attacked you did so due to a difference in beliefs. Now…" she tapped us both firmly on the nose/beak, "you both admitted to provoking her verbally when she started. There's no reason to punish you for this, as she made the first move by using the Holy Water. Even though it did no damage, it WAS an attempt to cause harm. However, I suggest you try not to make a situation worse by being mouthy. Just… try to remember that people who have strong opinions can be motivated to violence with very little provocation."

"Yes ma'am," I dipped my head a little.

Abathar mumbled something that sounded like assent.

"As for the woman who attacked you: we haven't frozen her account but we have temporarily suspended her access to a number of social functions around the site. We'll keep an eye out for trouble for a while in the meantime." She handed Mom a slip of paper. "This is her username. The best thing for you to do is Block her. This way she can't have any contact with you or your pets. With luck, you'll never be bothered by her again."

Giving us all a smart salute, she left our house.

***

I was almost afraid to go to school on Monday. But as Mom told me, you can never change the world by hiding from it.

Abathar worried me more than anything though. He decided that the best way to fight back against having someone else's beliefs being shoved down his throat was to do some shoving of his own. Thus to school, he lugged his backpack around prominently displaying an upside down star inside a circle, telling me it's a stereotypical symbol of a very big, very bad demon. Around his neck dangled a symbol, similar to the intersecting lines the woman had used against us; except that it was upside down and made of something black and metallic looking. Another symbol of Big Bad and Demonic. Mom drew the line at earrings, firmly informing him that poking holes in himself was classified as stupid, not rebellious.

Nevertheless, he drew even more attention to himself and was guaranteed an open space in the hallways whenever he passed. Some of the more brazen students called out, "Jesus saves!"

"He passes to Moses," came the acid retort, "He dribbles down the court. He shoots… SCORES!"

Several students twittered in amusement. Several others glared darkly at his blatant disrespect.

"Jesus loves you and forgives you!" Tried another.

"Jesus knows that **I'm** not the one that needs to be forgiven." Came the cold reply, and his tail flicked dismissively as he walked into our class.

Azuna meowed softly in my ear in a worried tone. I didn't have to speak her language to know she was worried about our brother as well. Unfortunately, while Abathar got a lot of attention, I ended up being a target. They weren't afraid of _me_. _I_ had never lashed out on school grounds.

"How can you stand living with him?"

"Excuse me?" I looked up to find myself cornered by three girls.

"That demon. How can you stand to live with him?" The speaker was a Bloodred Feli, dark red…stuff… oozing from her fur and leaving a messy trail wherever she walked. I could see it pooling slowly under her paws as she stood there.

"Easy peasy. I don't pick on him, I don't poke fun at him and I help him with his homework and we get along just fine." I slammed my locker closed.

A Darkmatter Bovyne looked down her long nose at me, "So you tolerate evil?" she demanded haughtily. "You just let him infect your family with his evil ways?"

A Graveyard Paralix sneered at me, "Don't waste your breath. She's Dark. She's already predestined for Evil."

They all took a step back from me.

"Humph. Better to be Dark than cruel." I glared at the Feli. "Better to be Dark than a bigot." I turned my gaze at the Bovyne. "And better to be Dark than rotten to the core." I turned to the Paralix. "You see my brother for what you think he is and you condemn him. You hear the word 'demon' and automatically assume that it's everything he is. You see him with a strange combination of powers and you attack him for that difference. At least _**I**_ celebrate what makes him unique." I turned and walked into the classroom.

Miss Addie B gave me a wise look, "Is everything all right, Shirra?"

"It will be, I hope." I sighed, taking a seat.

"Ladies and gentlepets, We've been working up to this all last week. Hopefully you got the written part of your homework done over the weekend, because it clues you in to our next big spell: Shadow Cloak."

An excited murmur rolled through the classroom. I sat up straighter.

"It is easier to show than to tell." So saying, the shadows beneath her desk seemed to condense and swallow her up like a live thing. The dark matters jittered in place for a second, seemingly confused, and then zipped across the room. We all spun in time to see the shadows pulling away from Miss Addie B as she perched on the cabinets at the back of the room. With practiced ease, she hopped down and landed lightly on her feet, her gauzy dress billowing amid enthusiastic applause.

"Darkness." she said when the clapping died down, "Shadows. It is not just the absence of light. The very element itself is like a live thing, though you cannot call it intelligent by any real measurable means. It needs to be directed. Shifted. Shaped. It responds to directions but it is not a slave to your whims." Her nails clicked gently as she steepled her hands. "To truly know your element you must form a partnership with it, similar to the partnership between yourself and your Minions. If you understand it and can direct it without micromanaging, you'll find it may surprise you in a number of ways."

All ears were perked now, eager and absorbing her every word.

"Shadow Cloak is a misleading description. You can use the shadows to cloak yourself, but the spell does more than hide your presence. It lets you travel from one location to the next without taking the actual steps. As long as there is shade or darkness enough to remove you from direct light, you can get to that spot."

And thus began our practice. Desks were moved and two tables were set up on either end of the room, each draped in cloth to provide deep shadows for the students to slip into.

That afternoon, Abathar and I practiced together in the deepening shadows. The back yard provided us with a number of objects we could vanish behind, only to burst out behind our opponent. I learned quickly that I could take to the skies if Abathar vanished from easy sight, and Abathar learned how to appear beneath things and thus be shielded from my sight from above.

If things had been peaceful for our family, we probably wouldn't have had the motivation for being so intensive in our training. Such as it was, we went to it with a grim determination. We never tried to seriously hurt one another, but we usually came away with small cuts and bruises that Silverserri tutted softly over as she patched us up.

Beneath thick fur and feathers, our muscles became hard and toned. When someone vandalized our yard, a family meeting was called and everyone went to Jim's Gym for a little training. Nothing as intensive as Alkuma's Battle Dome training of course; but we all got some talent in physical self-defense. Even Oreah was cajoled into training silently alongside me.

Professor Chuckles taught us about how to apply our magic to real life situations and how it could be used to make money. He taught us how to manipulate our elements into various shapes.

"Elemental tentacles, which some of you have already practiced using…" he flicked a glance at Abathar and me, "are like an extension of yourselves. You can retrieve objects beyond your normal reach, lift weights that your physical body cannot handle, and even do very delicate tasks that your fingers may not be capable of."

He rolled his eyes expansively at the sniggering of the guys and the twittering of the girls. "To those of you who happen to be… _immature_… enough to think of Japanese school girl outfits and _adult_ cartoons; allow me clarify."

Many students uttered terrified screams as tentacles snaked outward, seized nearly every desk in the room, and lifted it -student and all- to the ceiling.

When the screams cut down to whimpers, he continued, "With enough control, I can seize a car… or an airplane… and throw it at someone. With enough control, I can impale a heavily armored robot in numerous locations and rip out its internal mechanics. With enough control, I can reach down a narrow pipe, rescue an infant, and lift him out without so much as a bruise. I can crush skulls and cradle kittens. I can extend my reach to several hundred feet without ever putting my body in the line of fire."

Slowly he lowered the students and their desks to the floor again. "Power. Control. Responsibility. You are capable of salvation as well as destruction. Do not assume that having the ability to do something gives you the right to do it."

"P-Professor C… why didn't you raise their desks?" One of the students pointed at the two of us.

"Because they have already learned the lesson I am teaching," he said frostily.

"Teacher's pets," someone familiar hissed from the other side of the room.

"Miss Vaishi, I would think that you of all my students would know better than to sneer at someone who studies hard and tries to get good grades."

Vaishi squirmed slightly.

"And with that, I dismiss you all to your next classes," Professor C waved dismissively at us as the bell rang.

Vaishi cornered me at the end of school with her Snob Squad behind her. "You're going to regret embarrassing me in front of everyone," she snarled.

"I didn't do a damn thing. You're the one who said something stupid."

"Listen you Scri..." she hesitated as Azuna lifted her head from where she had been dozing on my back and stared directly at Vaishi. "Listen… Shirra…" she choked out my proper name, keeping a wary eye on my Minion, "You've been uppity ever since you showed up at this school and I think it's time you learned your place."

"I don't let the village idiot tell me what to do," I snarled, losing patience, "and I certainly don't give a crap about your so called hierarchy. I am here to learn and nothing else. You're the one blathering on about who goes where. I don't need your permission to do anything."

Vaishi's eyes flashed and her fur bristled, "We can make your life hell little girl. You think I made you miserable before, you just wait."

"You know what? Fine! Battle Coliseum. Saturday, Eleven AM. You don't show, you forfeit. No proxies. You, me, our minions, and our elemental magic. Weapons and scroll spells disqualify you."

Surprise and a trace of alarm darted behind her eyes, but it was too late. I'd thrown in the gauntlet and our argument had drawn quite a crowd. She couldn't back down now without losing face.

"I'll be there," she hissed, "and I'll put you in your place." Her Pranahera barked at me and Azuna gave a disdainful hiss.

I gave her an insolent yawn and walked away. I took my time; not bothering to hurry in my escape. Students parted for me, and I heard more than one murmur, wishing me luck.

Alkuma regarded me thoughtfully as I approached the end of the hall.

"Shirra," she said in a low voice.

"Don't start with any bullshit about violence solving nothing," I growled.

Alkuma began to laugh, "Who tried to feed you that line of shit?" She managed to wrestle it down to the occasional chuckle by the time Abathar and Hex silently joined us on the walk home.

"Let's clear a few things up." Alkuma finally said, "The line is 'Violence doesn't solve _everything_.' And it is true. More often than not, there is a peaceful solution to most of the situations you will encounter. However, there will be times in your life when fighting is your only means of handling the situation. You know that already from dealing with that woman." One of her ears flicked back: a sign she was annoyed. "In that situation, you took many opportunities to come to a non violent solution. Only when the first blow was dealt did you retaliate in kind. Tell me… what were you feeling then?"

I took a slow breath, thinking back to that day, "Protective. She attacked my brother. I didn't hesitate. I did what I wanted and it felt good."

"Then it was right. People try to say that it's better to turn the other cheek, but that just makes you a victim and a doormat. You stand up for what you feel is right and respond in kind to whatever they dish out at you. Vaishi won't leave you alone unless you give her a show of strength. Her opinion of you is worthless, but you can end her interference by making it clear that you aren't someone to make an enemy of." Alkuma opened the gate for us.

"I don't want to kill her," I said, "I don't even want to seriously hurt her."

"And you shouldn't." my sister snorted, "But perhaps you and I can work out our own strategy. Come out back when you get your crap put away. And bring Azuna with you."


	9. Chapter 9

Anyone interested in seeing the species and colors of the pets mentioned in this story can find them at:

/\/\/\/\/\/\

The Battle Coliseum… It's just one big bowl shaped stadium with seats going up the sides and a large flat plain of dirt on the floor in the lowest point. What more do I need to say to describe it?

Word had spread around school like wildfire. A fight draws students like a giant magnet. Teachers were also seated, their eyes solemn. My family had claimed the seats closest to the ground. The Snob Squad had taken their places on the other side. A good portion of tourists and random onlookers filled most of the seats. Nothing satisfies the darkest, most bloodthirsty part of humanity like blood sports.

And I mean darkest. Not Darkness. Even the element of Darkness has very little interest in blood and gore and all the nasty things it is accused of.

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we have two special guests! Two Students from Veta Lake High School will be pitting their magic against one another in a contest of skill. The rules have been set and agreed upon. No weapons. No proxy fighters. Elemental magic and minions only. Winner pins the loser for three seconds."

The announcement came from speakers set in the ceiling and echoed throughout the Coliseum. I heard cheers and clapping outside of the locker room where I was currently waiting. An attendant lead me to an elaborate portcullis made of thick bars of metal. Very impressive looking. I silently wager that given half a minute I could rip through the metal.

"In this corner, Vaishi the Dragarth; representing the Element of Light. And in this corner, Shirra the Irion; representing the Element of Dark. Assisting them is the Pranahera, Princess and the Spixi, Azuna."

The portcullis creaked softly as it rose, letting the full weight of sunlight spill across me. I narrowed my eyes and stepped into the light, sliding into a smooth, gliding walk. Across the floor, Vaishi pranced out into the light. Her head was up and her movements confident. She was positive she was the star of this show and was making no effort to hide it. She grinned and bowed, or tossed a flirty wave or wink to a boy or two she saw.

I did not waste my time for anything but a single glance up at my family.

"Remember what we talked about." Alkuma's growl rolled over the noise of the crowd.

I lifted my head a little more confidently and strode out into the middle next to the referee. Azuna sat down as soon as we stopped and began to wash her tail with typical feline unconcern.

Vaishi joined us several minutes later, still hamming it up for her audience. She smirked at me across the few feet that separated us. Princess barked at Azuna, who paused for no more than a second to stare icily at the dog before proceeding to wash a paw.

"Elements and Minions only," the Referee reminded us.

An air horn blared from the speakers and the referee quickly got out of the way.

"This is it, Scribble." Vaishi sneered at me, "Today I put you in your place."

"_Don't waste your breath taunting your opponents. You need it for the fight. Plus silence unnerves them."_

Coolly I got to my feet and began to circle, Azuna keeping pace.

"You stole Hexavier from me," Vaishi continued, circling opposite of me, "he was mine, and you don't deserve him."

"_They will insult you. Call you a whore. Insult your family. Your mother. Try to needle you. Do not answer these challenges. Their sole purpose is to make you angry, to make you lash out without thinking. Those who lose their temper also lose the fight."_

"Come on bitch; show me what you've got!" White energies spilled over the Dragarth, making her almost painful to look at. "Or are you all talk and no action?"

A tentacle of Light lashed out, striking the ground where I had been a second ago. The resulting flash most certainly would have blinded anyone watching closely. But I had already been in motion, leaping clean into the air with a thrust of my wings, Azuna still keeping pace. I heard the soft buzz of her wings as she hovered a little behind my left shoulder.

Vaishi blinked, momentarily dazzled by her own energies. I took advantage and lashed out. A tentacle of dark flicked out, swift as a striking snake, and impacted against Vaishi's shoulder with bruising force. She was thrown back several feet, tumbling over and over before finally scrambling upright and lashing back at me.

I leaped aside, a tendril of Dark striking Vaishi's Light and reacting immediately. The Light flared brighter and the Dark deepening into something almost solid.

Vaishi lashed out again, much more precise this time, and earth sprayed up where it hit, spraying stinging clods that hit with bruising force against my flanks.

"Come on, are you going to waste the whole fight running away? Fight me!" Tendrils of light lashed out again and again. And again and again, I evaded the blows, striking them aside with my own Darkness.

"_Don't attack right away. Feint. Deflect. Dart about. Watch your opponent. Study their movements and watch for weaknesses. Let them wear themselves out by attacking and chasing you around."_

I had Vaishi's measure now. She was striking with form and grace, a great deal of choreography and appearance. But she was more like a dancer with movements that required appearances as much as effectiveness. Any moron with balance and speed can wave a sword around in ways that look impressive and flashy for the audience. But someone with a skill for knives uses it with intent, caring more about what happens when the weapon strikes, not what it looks like while he's doing it.

I was a fighter. Vaishi was a fencer.

And I was done with fencing.

I took to the air with a suddenness that surprised the Dragarth, my beating wings kicking dust into her eyes. While she desperately tried to wipe it away, I struck, slamming her aside as I bought time to gain more height. She flailed, thrashed, and leaped into the air with a snarl of rage.

As she lifted above the cloud of dust, I saw what had truly gotten her attention. A long slash traced a line along one of her cheeks, dripping blood.

I had marred her pretty face.

Light lashed at me again and again, fury driving her into wild and reckless attacks.

I rolled and flipped, used to evading Abathar's Dark Fire and struck back. The blow could have punched through her ribs and speared her heart like a shish-ke-bob if I had wanted it to. Instead, I whopped her with a blunt club-like tip that bruised her ribs and sent pain through her with every breath she took. I struck again, hitting a one-two blow that bruised the other side of her face and slammed into her left leg, spinning her around in the air.

Light lanced out, slicing at feathers and fur.

Darkness lanced back, coiled around her middle, and threw her down. She shrieked as she frantically twisted in the air. Almost catlike, she landed on her paws instead of tumbling through the dirt out of control. Dirt billowed up around her as she lunged up and opened her jaws as though she were going to breathe fire.

I banked hard, but was struck a glancing blow from the heavy beam of light that speared straight into the air.

I hit the dirt heavily and skidded, feeling pain rip through the muscles in my shoulders. I suspected a wing was sprained. And I most certainly needed somebody to put my right shoulder back into joint.

Azuna mewled anxiously at me, but I stood on three legs, eyes blazing and waiting for my opponent to emerge from the cloud of dust.

Another heavy beam lanced out of the dirt cloud, straight at me. But this time I didn't try to avoid it. Dark tentacles snaked out and coiled around the Light, binding it and forcing it away. Another Dark tentacle lanced into the dust cloud and snapped tight. The beam of light shut off abruptly.

As the dust settled, the crowd murmured in fear. Like a massive black python, the Darkness coiled around Vaishi's neck and muzzled her, preventing her from opening her jaws again. With almost predatory efficiency, the Darkness snaked around her legs, restraining them.

She gave a strangled sound and flailed against them, only to gag as the noose around her neck tightened just enough to cramp her ability to breathe. I watched her struggle calmly; hardly blinking when she began to make terrified sounds as the Darkness slowly dragged her struggling body to the ground. A tendril snaked around her middle and yanked her down toward the thick pool that now enveloped her legs. Her wings were the last thing to flap feebly before she was bound head to tail.

Darkness hummed through me, obeying my command, but also singing a strange tune of triumph. It had what it wanted; an avatar of Light had failed, no matter that it wasn't true combat. Darkness had… I can't say that it had emotions like a living being… it was too alien for that. But there was a certain basic feeling to Darkness; there was a kind of satisfaction it felt while feeding off of Vaishi's fear.

She feared Darkness, as all Light avatars did. She feared it. Hated it. Tried to grind it into the dirt. Beat it. Drove it away. And that loathing made her fail to realize that all elements all have their opposites. The brighter the light got, so too did Darkness get darker. Vaguely, I wondered just _how_ Dark she was deep inside, hidden within the walls of light she built for herself.

Princess, desperate, leaped at me with a snarl, only to squeal as Azuna raked her claws across the dog's nose. I ignored the two fighting minions as Vaishi made a frantic pleading sound from within the mass of Dark coils.

"And the fight is over!" the referee's voice boomed, "Shirra of the Dark wins!"

I stared into Vaishi's eyes, the only things still visible, and let her see how little I cared. I turned my back on her, silently calling the Darkness back to me.

Bolstered by the victory against the Light, it released its prey with seeming reluctance.

Princess gave a pained yelp and disengaged from Azuna, who spat after her in scorn before padding over to me.

By the time my partner caught up with me and Vaishi was free of the Dark hold, I was halfway to the gate, limping determinedly on three legs and thinking longingly of the shower that would be awaiting me in the locker room.

By the time I reached the open portcullis, the trailing Dark had sucked back into my shadow and dissipated.

By the time I limped into the locker room, a muscular Twilight Demi was waiting for me. At his instruction, I lay down on the bench.

"This is going to hurt," he warned me.

Blood red stars exploded in my vision and a single impact resounded through my body as he popped my shoulder back into place. I shrieked once before the pain sucked the air from my lungs. Azuna wailed along with me, both of us nearly deaf to the Demi as he soothingly promised me that the worst was over.

Several rasping breaths later, Azuna was a warm patch on my shoulder, purring deeply against my throbbing muscles. The purr seemed to seep through the muscle and all the way to the bone; soothing and relaxing.

By the time I could open my eyes, the pain had faded to a dull steady ache.

"Thanks sweetie," I murmured, stroking between her ears.

She mewled softly at me and padded to the door to a shower stall.

I heaved my aching body up and slowly limped my way over. Mom arrived right about that time, sucking in a breath and spitting a curse that impressed even me.

I gave her something that loosely could be passed as a smile and slid under the showerhead, turning on the water as hot as I could stand it. The heat seemed to leech out the ache and relax my muscles. It was then that I realized the water sluicing out of my fur wasn't just dirty. It was also stained pink. Apparently, I was bleeding from a number of wounds.

This was confirmed when Silverserri joined me in the heated water and stifled an exclamation. Blue light filled my world and traced lines along my neck and shoulders; traced the muscles in my shoulders and seeped deep into the muscles of my wings. Blue spots flared to life along my legs and flanks, filling in several nasty bruises.

By the time she was done, we were both soaking wet and Serri was staring anxiously into my eyes.

"I'll be all right," I told her tiredly.

"Physically yes." She backed out of the shower and shook the water from her fur. "I don't know about the parts of you I can't touch."

"I've lost everything before," I told her, turning off the water, "One measly fight with a loser who has nothing better to do than pick on other Pets is not going to ruin my day."

I shook the water out of my coat and stepped into a second stall. At the push of a button, multiple ports in the walls came to life, blasting me from all sides with warm air and wicking the water out of my fur and feathers. I waited until I felt dry enough and came out, preening myself until I looked reasonable and not like a giant poof ball.

Mom was sitting on the padded bench where the Demi had had me lay down. Now that the high emotions from the fight were over, I felt wrung out. My muscles ached from the exertion, my limbs felt like lead and I felt exhausted emotionally as well as physically. How did Alkuma stand it? All I wanted to do was curl up and take a long nap.

Instead, I went straight for Mom and got the hug I knew was waiting for me.

"I'm so proud of you," she murmured into my feathered ear.

I sat back and dredged up a crooked grin, "Aren't Moms supposed to disapprove of fights?"

She chuckled. "I do disapprove of fights honey. But I'm proud of those who stand up for themselves."

As we left the Battle Coliseum behind, Alkuma moved up to match me stride for stride. "I'm proud of you too." She rumbled, "You handled yourself well. You didn't let your temper take over. You even restrained yourself against doing any serious damage. If you're ever in a fight again, know that you have the ability to handle the situation properly."

"How do you do it?" I asked. "How do you fight in the Coliseum as often as you do?"

"I don't." Alkuma confided in me, "And never against other pets. There's a list of challengers in the Coliseum who will battle anyone, anytime. For the most part, I only ever fight them once. Most of my time is spent training."

"Why do you do it?" I struggled to understand.

"Maybe I'll tell you the whole story sometime." She said after a pregnant pause, "The short of it is... I had a very nasty time in my past. So I made the decision to prove to myself that I am not helpless. I want to beat Sagittarius just once."

I save a soft whistle, "He's listed as Impossible."

Alkuma nodded, "I plan to train myself up and defeat him. Then, I think, I will be able to say that my scars have healed."

"That's a long way away." I said, "I've seen your stats. You need at least double what you have now, if not double and a half. How long has it taken you to get this far?"

"Two years," she admitted, "but my training has intensified since then."

"That's a long time to wait for your spirit to heal." I said as Mom opened the gate for us.

The others had been silent, some of them knowing, some of them fascinated.

"The healing began when I started," she rumbled, "and each battle I win only does more for me, not less. I made my plan knowing full well that it will take me quite some time to complete it. And I am not idle." She butted her head lightly against my shoulder, "You go do what you wanna do. You've done more today than you realize, I think."

Oddly enough, the weekend was relatively peaceful. Maybe seeing me kick Light's ass had something to do with it. And yes, that's me being a smart ass. It's one thing to be up-in-your-face against a particular religious sect. It's another to fight and defeat what was supposed to be the side that always won. People don't like the idea that their 'side' isn't all-powerful.

I spent most of Sunday in the front yard, preening and setting my fur and feathers to rights. I kept one eye on passerby. A single egg came flying over the fence. I speared it clean through with a tentacle of Dark and with a flick, sent the drippy, gooky shell flying right back in the direction it had come from. The wet _splack_ sound and subsequent yelp told me the mess had hit its target. After that, there was a significant drop in unpleasant visitors.

Some stared at me with a mixture between fear and something just short of hatred. I let them have their fill of glaring for all of ten seconds, and then returned their gaze with one of my own. I met their eyes, thinking thoughts of _unwelcome_ at them and they found somewhere else to be. Some passed by with a shy nod or wave, which I returned.

Returning to school felt odd. Vaishi and her snob squad made themselves scarce. Many students seemed to be afraid of me. It was a lonely feeling, but I resolved to ignore that. The teachers did not change their attitudes much, though I was sure almost all of them had attended.

Professor Chuckles taught us about Sixth Sense; the power to be able to scan a place or thing based on our elemental kinship with parts of it. With the power of Dark, I was soon able to collect a good mental map of any building or place based on the position and shape of the shadows it harbored. I wonder if people really realize that their homes have shadows in closets, under beds, under and inside dressers, furniture, appliances, within the walls, inside cabinets… In less than ten seconds, I will know more about your home than you do. I can find your missing keys… and I know where you are sitting or sleeping in your home at any given time.

Miss Addie B taught us about Marking someone. With just a trace of magic, we could Mark them in a way that can't be washed off or removed unless the original spell caster did it or a powerful mage of the opposite element was able to counter it. If we wanted to identify someone, we could make the invisible Mark flare brilliantly with Dark energy and make them stand out in a crowd. With that Mark, we could also track them wherever they fled.

It was a strange tingle or an itch when Abathar Marked me; one that faded almost instantly. Then he made it blaze up. As we were instructed, I slapped a heavy piece of cloth over it as though to hide it. It did no good: no matter how I tried to cover it or hide it, the Dark Mark was visible to anyone who happened to glance at me.

Later in the afternoon, Alkuma knocked lightly on my doorjamb. When I looked up, I could feel my fur and feathers lift. There was a strange look in Alkuma's eyes and she was gripping her Aemis in a way that suggested intent to use it.

Her voice was perfectly calm, which creeped me out even further. She always sounded grumpy and in a bad mood. "Shirra, someone at the gate wants to see you."

"Who?" I put my pencil down reluctantly. Something told me that I'd be happier working on my Algebra homework that meeting this someone.

"An Angelic Anyu. He calls himself Derek the Dauntless."

"No." I deadpanned, "Seriously Alkuma. Who is it?"

She gave me a shrug that said better than words that she thought the whole thing was stupid, and it did better than anything else to convince me she wasn't bullshitting me.

I sighed and heaved myself to my feet, "I don't know anyone named Derek, nor do I know any Angelic Anyus."

"Well apparently he knows you. He specifically asked for the Dark Mage, Shirra." Alkuma explained as we went downstairs together.

I didn't like that. I didn't like that at all. I wasn't even out of school yet, and could hardly be called a Mage at least until I graduated.

The late afternoon sun spilled warmly onto my fur and feathers as I padded out. Time had passed enough for the dye job to work itself out of my pelt, so my fur was once more a gorgeous lilac. I padded up to the gate, taking my visitor in at a glance.

He was a massive Anthro Anyu wearing what could only be customized armor, which blazed and swirled with Light magic. His helmet was nestled neatly on his head, making his already unfriendly golden gaze rather intimidating within the eyeholes.


	10. Chapter 10

Anyone interested in seeing the species and colors of the pets mentioned in this story can find them at:

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Art thou the Mage Shirra, avatar of the Darkness?" He rumbled ominously.

_Seriously? Who talks like that? Fine. Let's play._ "No. I am student Shirra of Veta Lake High School, chained by Homework and initiate of the Dark Element."

His eyes grew wide and blank for a moment, and then he growled disbelievingly, "Thou art but an initiate? How then hast thou defeated an Avatar of light?"

"Is that what this is about?" I demanded, "Let me clue you in on something buddy." I stormed up to the gate and glared straight into his eyes. "Vaishi is a snob, a bully and a miscreant. She tormented students long before her element of Light was revealed. She constantly picked fights, and I finally picked back. We competed in a minor tussle against one another and I won. End of story."

"Thou liest!" he boomed, drawing a blade and pointing the tip at me.

Alkuma growled: a low, deep threat. There was a soft crackle as I felt the bolt of Air energy form in her Aemis.

I narrowed my eyes coldly, "I do not lie, Derek. Nor to I appreciate being called a liar. Ask any student in school about Vaishi. Ask those who are not her "friends" and you will know that I speak the truth."

"Doest thou take me for a fool?" he thundered, "Many have I asked. All sayest a demon lurks within these walls, corrupting the souls within. And thou…" he growled, a deep chested sound that made Alkuma sound like a kitten, "Thou _defends_ him!"

"He is my brother." I replied coolly.

"No demon knowest the meaning of the word!" Derek shoved the gate open and stormed toward me, blade drawn.

ssssSSSSSSHHHHHH TANGGGGG!

A bolt of Air energy fired across the yard and struck Derek's sword broadside. The powerful bolt of energy ripped the blade from the Anyu's hands and sent it spinning across the yard to embed itself point first in the dirt. It hummed softly with the impact.

Derek roared in fury and spun around, only to find himself looking at the business end of Alkuma's cocked, loaded, and aimed Aemis.

"I only give one warning shot. The next one will hit its mark." Alkuma's voice was still perfectly calm, almost conversational. I shivered. "Which will it be I wonder…? Your throat? Your chest? Unlike many I could name, when I shoot, I shoot to end it."

"Thou… who art thou?" The Anyu had a battle-axe in his hands now, drawn from his belt, but hesitated; eyeing Alkuma with a degree of wary respect.

"I am Alkuma, the Battle Coliseum's rising star. Nicknamed the Sniper."

The Anyu stilled abruptly, staring at her. "The Sniper? I had heard of thee. Champion of many single blow defeats. What doest thou do amongst this rabble?"

"They are my family," she replied.

"Interesting blade," I cut in, reaching out and grasping the sword by its handle, "You must have paid a fortune to have it infused." With a tug, I pulled it out of the ground.

Derek the Dauntless actually looked daunted as I turned to face him with his own weapon.

It was an uncomfortable thing. The Light did not like me at all, and I could not wield its power. But I was able to hold it. The best way to describe it was like being out in the hottest summer day. It was a little too bright. A little too hot. A bit too harsh. Just on the brink of physical pain, but not quite over the edge.

Some instinct made me keep my face straight and my voice level, for all that I wanted to drop it like a hot potato, "Your blade is powerful," I told the slack jawed Pet, "but I wonder, exactly, what good you thought it would do against me?"

I transferred my grip delicately to the blade and offered it back to him, handle first. Slowly he reached out and grasped the handle, watching the Light magic flare up willingly at his touch.

The sensation of discomfort hyped up to actual pain the instant he touched the weapon, but it was no worse than a scrape or a cut. Unhurriedly I let go of the blade.

"Your power means very little to me," I told him, "and it certainly does very little harm. Obviously I'm not what you think I am."

"This… this cannot be. All knowest the Dark cannot stand before the Light."

I favored him with a slow blink, "What idiot told you that lie? No element has perfect advantage over another. They are equals and opposites."

The fight with Vaishi had made that abundantly clear. Instead of canceling one another out, my Dark and her Light had simply… intensified based on the strength of the other.

"If that is true, how then hast thou defeated thy fellow student?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me.

"I am a fighter, she is a fencer." I flicked my feathered tail dismissively.

As a swordsman, he knew exactly what I meant, and he did not like it. "Then as one fighter to another, I challenge thee."

"Declined," I said promptly.

"What?!"

"I fought Vaishi because I had to. There is no need for me to fight you." _Besides, I'm no match for him._ I didn't let this thought show in my face.

"There is indeed a need," he growled, looming ominously over me, "The Dark must be put in its place. Light must always prevail, lest the world plummet into chaos and self destruction."

I snorted and turned scornfully away from him, "Blah, blah, blah. I refuse your challenge."

Derek the Dauntless roared in fury. Alkuma shouted a warning and I lunged to the side with all my might, feeling the blade of his axe slice the air inches from my body and impact the ground with terrific force.

Alkuma's Aemis roared, and Derek bellowed again as the bolt slammed into his armored head and threw him, literally, through the front yard fence.

He shook himself and came charging back for more, too highly trained to let a few hundred lost hit points keep him down.

Suddenly the warm fall afternoon turned chilly. Between one breath and the next, my air fogged before me. A strange crackling sound, like thin glass cracking, filled the air.

In slow motion, I watched Derek charge. The crackling filled my whole world, tension building in the air until I felt as though I was going to collapse beneath the strain. Derek reached the fence. Then there was a loud shattering sound and an immense wave of power surged right over the top of me. Ice formed on my fur and feathers. Tiny pebbles of ice covered the ground beneath my paws. Derek was halfway into the yard. The surge of cold rolled over me and then away, powerful and dangerous in its momentum, but paying me no heed. I felt as though I'd just had a near miss with an oncoming train and was being buffeted by the wind as it passed a millimeter from my face. Derek was three steps inside the fence when the icy power slammed into him.

I had never seen anything like it. His armor crystallized, then shattered into tiny pieces. The Light energy winked out, spent now that its vessel was shattered. Derek was lifted clear off his massive paws and thrown back through the hole in the fence and into the street. The sound of his body hitting the asphalt was an impact that could be heard for at least a block in every direction. He skidded for several feet, tumbled over and over and finally fetched up against the curb across the road.

The lithe form of a Montre flew over my head and landed near the Anyu. He pressed a paw to the massive bear's neck, then turned and trotted back.

"Out cold," Marendithas told us both with an easy grin, "Pun intended."

"Is this going to be my life?" I demanded, "Challenged over and over again by everyone who thinks I should be beaten down?"

Marendithas lost the easy grin and he sighed deeply.

"Not just your life," I jumped and turned to find myself looking at Mercolo. His purple eyes were kind, "My life, and Abathar's too. And you do have to fight, Shirra. Some can be convinced to leave you alone. Others…" he flicked a glance at the Anyu, "…have to have it beaten into them."

My feathers ruffled and I growled a little in frustration.

"I know you never gave a damn about hierarchy," Mercolo sighed to me, "But you're going to have to carve yourself a niche with your powers. You have to make yourself appear to be too strong to trifle with easily. If it looks like you're going to lie down and be a doormat, everyone and his minion will try to step on you."

"How did you do it?" I asked him softly.

He grinned, but there was nothing happy in that baring of the teeth. "A Light avatar came after me. He attacked me…wouldn't listen to reason. Kept coming back again and again and again."

"And?"

"One day, I got sick of running."

"And?"

"He came after me again. The most mysterious thing just… happened."

I blinked and looked him full in the face. Suddenly a chill raced up my spine. His penetrating purple gaze became… cold. Something in my gut twisted, and suddenly I had an all too clear understanding.

"He's listed as missing." Mercolo spoke as though stating the time, "After all, no body was ever found."

"Poof?"

"Poof. Turns out, he was one of the most powerful of the fanatics in the biggest organization of fanatics out there. Some big hotshot with a lot of power. They all knew he was out to kill me. When he mysteriously… vanished… they suddenly lost their courage. After all, if their brightest and most powerful failed, then what could they possibly do against me?" Mercolo sat back and scratched with a hind leg.

"I…. really hope it never has to come to that." I dug at the ground with my claws.

"It may," Marendithas warned me; concern, and a depressed kind of knowledge shifting behind his eyes. "Sometimes you have to be willing to do some serious stuff to keep yourself and your loved ones safe."

I blinked at him.

Marendithas waved a wing at the house, "If I wanted to hurt you… really hurt you; I would strike out at someone less able to defend themselves. Preferably someone you cared deeply about."

Darkness sprang, unbidden to the forefront of my focus. Tendrils of Dark swayed gently around me like giant black cobras, searching for a target.

"Good girl." Mercolo approved, "That's the reaction you may need to call upon."

With an effort, I sent the Darkness back. Reluctantly, it did. _Mom… my family…_ Neither I nor my power liked that insinuation.

My power had awakened in me. There was no turning back. I couldn't just shut it away to make things all better; it never worked that way. Darkness was as much a part of me as my limbs were, and I was not about to chop either one out of my life. Then again, I wasn't looking forward to having to bash skulls on a semi regular basis just to make freaks leave me alone either.

I chewed it over all afternoon and into the evening. I have no idea how I got my homework done correctly. Maybe I was on autopilot or something.

I knew there was something wrong in my room the instant I grasped the doorknob. Alarms jingled in my brain and I immediately sent tendrils of darkness under my door. The light that I usually left on by my bed was now off. Narrowing my eyes, I sent the tendrils of Dark questing about the whole of my room. The shocked gasp as the Darkness snapped tight around a figure was more than a little satisfying to my foul mood. I opened the door and padded in, stepping instinctively around the tentacles, and flicked on a small light.

An Anthro Dusk Ontra wearing a pink and purple dress of some sort stood very still, her eyes wide and pupils dilated in fear as both her arms and legs were immobilized by my power. Remembering what Mercolo told me, I fixed my coldest scowl on my face and looked her over from head to toe.

"I am not known for my tolerance of intruders," I growled deep in my chest, "Nor am I particularly nice when some _idiot_ breaks into my room!"

"My apologies." Her voice quavered and she shook her long purple hair back from her face as best she could with her arms pinned. "I merely wished to make you an offer."

Now I was suspicious. She talked with a formal and aristocratic accent. "Last I heard, aristocrats didn't trespass and go skulking around like a low born thief." I released her and let my power trickle away.

She drew herself up, as though offended, and I saw traces of what she might have once been. _Definitely high born. A Baroness or even a princess maybe._ When she caught my cold blue eyes, she drew herself further upright and spoke in a lofty voice. "My name is Liara, former princess of the Sacred Lands, now partner, and consort of the Darkheart Phantom. Watch your tongue peasant."

I laughed out loud, but it was a low, nasty sort of chuckle that would make your fur stand on end. "Peasant am I? Does Darkheart know you fuck up your diplomacy this badly, or does he simply not know of your failures?"

Her head snapped up and I darted a tendril of Dark out to grab her chin and make her look me in the eye rather than down her considerably long nose. "If I were you, I'd be very careful how you phrase your 'offer' or you may get roughed up a tad. You are trespassing. You are not welcome. And you most certainly will not be tolerated if you continue to behave like a spoiled, snotty little pampered brat. I am under no obligation to let you go. Quite frankly I bet there are some authorities who would love to get their hands on you."

I could almost see her go pale under her fur and she wilted enough for me to decide to let her face go.

She swallowed heavily then said quietly, "There are… some of us who… would like you to join our… um... teams. Your connection to your power is powerful. You can do things many people on our… team… cannot. We think you would be a wonderful asset, and you could get a high rank."

I stared at her for a moment, and then gave a disgusted snort. "Sorry but this jackass doesn't want the carrot you're dangling in front of my nose. Teams? Don't make me laugh. You're just one side determined to wage a ridiculous war against the other side. I want no part of it."

"You'll have to pick a side sooner or later." Her voice got haughty again. "The Light will never accept you. If you don't join us, you'll never be accepted anywhere."

"In that, you are mistaken. I have my family. And that's all I need. Why should I give a crap about what some stranger thinks of me? I don't need the world's acceptance. Every fanatical, book thumping, symbol toting, holy water chugging, bigot from here to Atebus and beyond had better shove their nose into their own bloody business and out of mine. Kiss my ass or get yours kicked." I flicked my window open with a tendril, scooped her up, and stuffed her through it, dropping her bodily on the other side of the property line. "And don't come back!" I slid the window closed with an audible clack and latched it tightly.

I turned around, grumbling, and spotted Abathar leaning against my doorjamb. "You're more patient than I am. " He smirked, showing fangs. "I woulda caused some real damage to more than just her ego. G'night sis."

"G'night Abathar." As I crawled under the covers, I realized belatedly that he'd called me 'sis'. He'd never called me that before. As I snuggled in, I found myself falling to sleep surrounded by warmth that had nothing to do with temperature.


	11. Chapter 11

Anyone interested in seeing the species and colors of the pets mentioned in this story can find them at:

/\/\/\/\/\/\

You know what pisses me off? People who cross to the other side of the street to avoid me. I flattened my feathered ears, narrowed my eyes, and pretended not to notice. It's not like we were keeping it a secret. Abathar was so antisocial toward the world that he rarely walked down the street. But me… I put myself out there. And most people recognized me after the fiasco with Gunblade.

To their credit, most were merely startled that I could walk in the sunlight and were wary of what I might or might not be capable of. I couldn't begrudge them the urge to be cautious of what they weren't familiar with. Then again, I didn't have to like it either.

I wanted to yell out, "_Fer fuck's sake I'm not a goddamn monster all of a sudden!"_ Yeah, like that would help. So I kept my clap shut. Some muttered prayers for my soul as I walked past. These I also pretended to ignore. Some loudly preached it. Then I crossed the street to avoid _them_ and went about my business. One or two would try to follow me but I froze that with a long icy stare.

I got countless accusations of Satanism, to the point where I actually started getting _invitations_ for that too. I mean, really? I don't kowtow to one so I have to lick the boots of another? Please.

Thankfully, no one dared attack me. An example had been made. I suspected some eyes were on me after that Anyu had groggily staggered off, since technically neither of us agreed to fight before we… fought. But we had established that I would defend myself forcefully so other than a wary eye being kept on me, nothing was being done about it.

When a Dark matter floated past my beak, I felt a chill. Mercolo and Niyami both were back at home. I wasn't afraid of Dark Matters, don't get me wrong. They were pesky, insatiably curious, and apt to get in the way or settle into your fur in a way that itched annoyingly, but they were harmless. My chill came from the fact that I was sensing someone shrouded in Dark approaching me.

I turned and found myself looking at Maleria.

_That's it. It's official. My day is now complete. Hell, my week is now complete. I get to fight both good and bad this week. Hallelujah brother. Hail Mary full of grace, two potatoes ran a race._ I got the inkling that I was cracking up, just a little bit.

I plunked my butt on the ground, heaved a very put upon sigh and faced her. A blue skinned elf, with messy purple hair done up in the world's crappiest excuse for a bun. She had small, useless looking gray wings that would give her no hope of actual flight. An orange… I just can't call it a dress, since the seamstress seemed to have gotten the front and back pieces and then laced them so loosely that she was baring several inches of skin along both sides. Blue skin, purple hair, bright orange… whatever… and bright yellow gloves on her hands. Okay I am no fashion conscious cheerleader but DAMN I have more color sense than that.

I was very careful not to let my thoughts show on my face. She had a lot of Dark Matters flitting around her and I was not interested in actually having to fight a Dark Goddess, or whatever it was she claimed to be.

"Hello Shirra." I tried not to twitch at her voice, "I've been hearing quite a bit about you."

"I'm sure you have," I said neutrally. She was not known for her diplomacy, so this sickly sweet conversational tone made my pelt crawl.

"I hear you turned down Princess Liara's invitation," she said smoothly, "was her offer not to your liking?"

"Nope." I preened my chest fur just for something to do, "Darkheart is out to start a war. I am not interested in that."

"But think of what you could get if you did fight. Money. Power. Almost anything."

Y'know, I cuss, but the string of bad words I was almost ready to fire off was potty mouthed even for me. So I got up, turned my back on her, and walked away.

Wow, I could actually feel her anger like a wave of hot needles. I guess not many people walk away from her like that.

"Mortal!" she thundered, and appeared right in front of me, radiating power and fury. "How dare you turn your back on me?!"

Ahhh that was more like Maleria of rumor. Noisy, arrogant and crazy as hell.

"Why wouldn't I? You have nothing to offer me that would entice me to fight for you. I can get money from Mom, or work for it. I have a family. Power has little value without other things in my life. And I am not interested in being your damn catapult. I am not something you use to launch attacks on enemy, fix it when it breaks, and then throw it back into use. I am not something you can discard when you can no longer fix me up." My wings flared. Anyone who knew anything about Irions knew that this meant I was in an aggressive mood.

Maleria, however, apparently didn't know or didn't think I was enough of a threat. She smiled a cold, haughty smile and crossed her arms; "If offerings don't appeal to you then perhaps this will: fight for us or you will _lose_ all you have gained. Defy me at your peril, for the outcome is never pretty."

I shall cherish the look on her face two seconds later for the rest of my life. No one had apparently dared to lash out at her. And certainly, no one had rammed a spike of Dark straight through her middle. She was a goddess. It wouldn't kill her, much to my sorrow. But the shock and pain was certainly a nasty wake up call for her. The force of the blow threw her violently backward, off the spear of Dark, and into the condemned remains of a house.

There was a tremendous crash and the house collapsed, sending up a massive cloud of dust and sent pieces of debris flying. Darkness wrapped around me like a liquid cloak, and I screamed my fury at the shifting rubble. A beam of dark purple energy carved a tunnel out of the mess, followed by a nasty looking ball of black energy wrapped in blazing purple light.

I deflected it harmlessly into the air with a blow of my shielded wing and lashed back with a rope of darkness. She was caught across the face and thrown back into the tunnel she had just carved.

"Maleria," I growled, as the scattered population fearfully peered around the edges of the buildings at us, "Let me make one thing very clear. I don't react well to threats. If anyone in my family gets hurt or mysteriously disappears, I will be _quite pissed off._"

She came out, dusting herself off and glaring furiously at the hole I punched into her dress… thingie. There was very little blood; proof positive that the wound had healed almost instantly and that the pain from it had been just as short. If I really went to town, I doubt I'd really be able to defeat her, even if I somehow took her head off. I really didn't want to do that, but no need for her to realize it.

"Pissed off? Then what is this?" She pointed at the hole in her dress.

Darkness blazed up around me, expanding until I was enveloped in a fifteen-foot cloud of it in all directions. "A bitch slap." My vision became tinted with purple light, an interesting effect but hardly damaging to my ability to see. "Do you really want to get into it with me Maleria? I know someone who could curse your efforts. Everything you do, all your hard work, all your organizing, planning and preparing can be sabotaged to the point that everything that can go wrong, will. I don't have to kill you. There are so very many ways I can ruin you without even attacking you directly."

True enough. Kehai would be more than happy to cause chaos on her family's behalf. Though normally it made her rather irritable when people asked. I could only hope the concept of causing so much trouble would overwhelm her bad mood at being asked a favor.

Maleria eyed me from beak to tail as my magic slowly toned down. She must have seen the truth in my posture because she scowled and walked away. "You are not worth the effort anyway."

_Heh. I bruised her ego. Poor baby._ For a second I felt lost. Walking was no longer a pleasure for me; I was too annoyed. I felt too emotionally drained to fly. After a moment of thought, I just sighed and let comforting Darkness engulf me.

The Darkness parted a few seconds later and I glanced around our front room. Shadow Cloak had worked like a charm.

Cocking a feathered ear, I could just catch the familiar voice of Marendithas in the kitchen, probably wheedling a treat from Lacoda and chatting with Alkuma. Abathar was dozing on the couch, Zexion parallel to him on the floor. Even as I wondered where Azuna was, I heard a soft scolding meow and she padded out of the shadows in the hallway.

Complaining at me in a low tone, she padded right up to me and glared.

"Sorry sweetie," I said when she paused for breath, and crouched down so she could climb onto my back, "I didn't expect a Dark Goddess to pick a fight in broad daylight."

She muttered a low growl that didn't sound very complimentary toward said goddess and nestled in just behind my shoulder blades.

"Get the fuck off my property!"

Abathar fell off the couch, almost flattening Zexion, and both Minion and Kumos uttered sounds that resembled swearing.

Shocked by the foul language, spoken in Mom's voice, I raced Abathar to the front door with Alkuma and Marendithas hot on our heels. We piled onto the front porch to see Derek the Dauntless with a new set of armor and backed by three other friends facing Mom just inside the newly replaced front gate. An Ontra, a Montre, and a Clawsion all backed Derek up. All were equipped with Light charged armor.

"Now Milady, there's no need to be unreasonable about this." Derek was saying, "We hath no quarrel with thee, nor your pets. The demon, however, and the Dark spawn that he defends must be removed."

"If I find a demon, rest assured I will have it removed from my home immediately. That said, Abathar and Shirra are my pets, brought home from Adopt R Us and given their current form by me." Mom's stance said she was more than willing to put up a fight, even outnumbered four to one.

"Milady, thou hath been tricked. That demon hath cast a trickery over thine eyes." Derek was trying to be patient, and speaking in a tone usually reserved for crazy people. "Upon the Demon's defeat, thou wilt truly see-"

"I SAID; get the FUCK off my property!"

"My lady, either remove thyself from our path or we shall move thee by force if necessary. We are blessed by the Almighty one, and thou shalt not stand in the way of our divine quest." The Ontra stepped forward, hefting a quiver full of poisonous looking darts.

"I will report you," Mom said, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

"Do what you must," the Montre told her. "but in the meantime, we intend to eradicate the infestation of evil."

"Do you now?" Abathar coolly cut in, materializing next to Mom with a flashy wash of black flames. "And what if we decide to beat the crap out of you instead of being vanquished?"

"Admin Gunblade has already cleared us." I glided up next to my brother. "Mom," I turned my head toward her, "You better go make the report. They won't stop, and I'd rather you were out of the way when the blood starts to flow."

"She's right Miss Alkuna." Marendithas stepped up, backed by Alkuma.

Mom looked at all of us worriedly then spun and raced into the house.

"I am Derek the Dauntless," Derek announced formally, "and my companions are thus. Ofilia the Ordained." He gestured at the Ontra. "Suruko the Blessed." He gestured at the Montre. "And Tuinal the Templar." He gestured to the Clawsion. "Prepare thyselves."

"I am Shirra, the Dark Initiate."

"I'm Marendithas, Ice Mage."

"Alkuna, the Battle Coliseum Champion known as the Sniper."

"And I'm Abathar…" His eyes blazed red as Darkness writhed like fire over him. "…and I'm the demon. Stand down mortals. Your Almighty has no power here."

"The Almighty has power over ALL things, and we shall send you screaming into the Pit!" Ofilia shouted. Holy power roared around her and I gasped as the symbol of intersecting lines struck us both and engulfed us with white light.

I blinked the spots out of my eyes and looked over at Abathar. He was scowling as usual and blinking but otherwise unharmed.

"Uh, the Almighty is gonna do what, now?" I asked blandly.

There was a swift whirr behind my ears and I knew Azuna had taken flight sometime in the last few minutes. My power focused around me as she did what all good partners do. She buzzed him infuriatingly. He snarled and snapped, slashing at her with the twin axes he held in his paws. Then abruptly she arced up and over his guard and landed on his shoulders. There was a strange purple crackle, and then the Light energy winked out of his armor.

Yowling a strange song, she zoomed off, clutching an orb of pure white light the size of a bowling ball in her four paws.

_Good thing Light doesn't have weight._ I thought.

Derek's gaze dropped to me, and then he roared and charged, axes in his hands raised high. I leaped back as the blades swung down to embed themselves with loud ka-chunk noises. I leaped forward and Derek roared with surprise and fury as I wrapped myself around his head. He bit, snapped and clawed at me, infuriated by the way the Dark shielded me from the worst of the damage. The world seemed unnaturally silent, though I caught a flash of movement showing Suruko trying to deflect icicles from Marendithas, so I knew there was a big fight going on.

I slashed and clawed at him, then wedged my front claws into an undefended part of the helmet and hung on for dear life. Derek's roars reverberated down to my very bones as he thrashed and heaved, trying to throw me off. Something had to give, and it was the helmet. I was sent flying, clutching his helmet.

_Damn_, I thought, _I missed his eyes._

Indeed I had, but not by a very big margin. The fur around his eyes was soaked with blood and I could tell it was going to get in the way of his vision. I charged. He was wicked fast for something his size, but I was just a bit faster. I felt a tail feather get sheared by his claws as I raced past him, ripping open his side from his shoulder, down his ribs and ending at his flanks. He spun and I grunted as his teeth sank into my backside. He let go when a shaft of pure Dark embedded itself in his forehead.

_Bastard has a thick skull._ I thought, twisting frantically away from a sweeping hammer blow from his front paws that would have caved my ribs in. _That should have blown his brains all over the yard._

I wasn't pulling my punches this time, but neither was he. We circled one another, wary now. Pound for pound, he was more powerful than I was in physical strength. But like any brainless thug with a good weapon, he was no good with magic. His armor was no longer charged, which meant that his defenses were purely mundane now. Light magic stung and burned, but didn't do anything more than a basic wound. Without that, he was vulnerable.

My sides were heaving and my focus was narrowed on him. If the others came after me, I was screwed. And I was losing energy as fast as my flanks were losing blood. My back legs buckled as the ground abruptly seemed to be slippery in places.

_Blood. Mine. _I realized unhappily.

He hefted an axe that he had managed to free and threw it. I rolled across the ground and evaded it… barely, and he followed up with a blow from a massive paw that sent me tumbling across the yard.

Darkness lashed out, ripping through his fur, and glancing off of armor. Something cold pelted me and I saw Marendithas smash Suruko back with a barrage of hailstones the size of a human fist. Ofilia and Abathar were locked tightly together, Holy Power and Dark Fire writhing and searing one another, each trying to get the better hold. Ofilia gave a strange gurgle as Abathar got a hold on her throat in his powerful jaws and proceeded to choke her slowly unconscious. Alkuma had… I struggled against rising bile. Tuinal the Templar was pinned against the fence, a bolt of Air energy piercing each hand. Both hands would be useless for the rest of his life. Alkuma put her Aemis on level to his heart and narrowed her eyes coldly. There was no mercy to be found in her gaze.

"I wilt end thee, Dark Power, and then I will end the demon." Derek's eyes were no longer sane, and foam flecked his jaws. "Repent now, and be saved from Hell."

Darkness lanced out almost the instant I thought about it and sank out of sight beneath his fur. He swatted almost absently at it. I expected to be dislodged but his claws seemed to slide off of it. He hadn't noticed.

Another tendril lanced out and he batted it aside, closing in on me. "In the Holy Name of the Almighty, I return thee to thy unholy realm!"

I threw up a shield as he hefted a hammer the size of my school desk over his head. Oddly, the pain was fading. Derek swayed where he stood and muscles flexed as he tried to bring the hammer down upon my shield. For several long seconds he stood there, a look of slow incredulity spreading across his muzzle.

Then the hammer fell; not on me, but at his feet with a dull thud. He stared stupidly at it, and then reached down to lift his weapon again. Nerveless fingers slipped off the handle and he blinked as he realized he could not lift it.

I staggered to my feet, still bleeding, still hurting, but no longer pinned by legs that could not support my weight. I moved back, my eyes tracing the long tendril that stretched from me to Derek. That's when I realized it was acting like a leech; sucking Derek's energy and feeding it into me. It wasn't really healing so much as giving me the energy to continue fighting.

Derek glanced over and seemed to come to the same conclusion I had. He seized the tendril and yanked. Both of us felt it tighten its hold and he struggled, his attempts rapidly growing weaker. He collapsed, blood starting to fleck the foam at the corner of his mouth.

"That's enough." I ordered, my voice a whisper. "He is beaten."

The Dark hesitated for a second, then detached, retracting around me and surrounding me with a hum of reassuring energy.

He blinked again, and then hauled himself to his feet.

"Derek! Enough! You are finished. Yield and you will live to fight another day!"

"Nay. I shalt end you, Daughter of Satan, or I shall die trying!" His eyes were totally crazy now, and he hauled himself up and charged me like a freight train.

Darkness snapped up and I felt the impact of his body as he slammed into several long spears of razor sharp points. He shuddered, and I could almost feel his pulse along the Dark blades, growing thready and weak.

"Enough!" shouted a voice, and suddenly I was surrounded by nothing but burning cold and endless dark.

I couldn't move. I couldn't see. I couldn't hear. Time seemed to have no meaning. I could have been there for a second, or for hours. I have no way of knowing. Darkness either could not reach me or I could not reach it. Whatever I was engulfed in, my Element could not affect it.

Then I heard a sound almost like a chime. The darkness lifted and I found myself standing on a white featureless plain.

A single human stood before me, his brown eyes stern.

"Well Shirra, you seem to have a talent for getting yourself in deep."

"Did I…? Am I…"

"Dead? No. But you were Frozen for a short time."

Nausea made me sway on my already unsteady feet. "F-Frozen…?"

"It was the only way to keep everyone alive. You folks were doing a pretty good job of killing each other right there in front of friends and family."


	12. Chapter 12

Anyone interested in seeing the species and colors of the pets mentioned in this story can find them at:

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"I had no choice!" I glared at him, hearing my blood patter gently on the endless white.

He frowned and waved a hand. Instantly my pain was gone. The blood stopped flowing and I was able to stand up before him.

"Of this, I have no doubt. We received Alkuna's report that strange pets threatened her family then proceeded to assault her pets right in her font yard. It's quite clear-cut. This is why you and your friends are all going to be able to go home and recuperate from this ordeal." His expression softened slightly.

"You're an Admin… aren't you?" I tried to place his face, but couldn't put a name to it.

"Yes, I am." He sighed. "Fortunately for you, Gunblade took a liking to you. She was the one to make a report of Derek's first unprovoked attack. We have it on record that you have been forced to defend yourself several times. We are dealing with Derek and his gang. Or what's left of it."

"L-left…? Did I…did we… kill any of them?" Though I had fought with the intent to kill, I really did not want the death of someone on my hands.

He sighed deeply. "In a manner of speaking, yes they are dead, though not by your hands. They are Frozen. They will remain Frozen for a full year. After that time, we will erase their memories and wipe their slates clean. A new owner will then be able to claim their names and thus allow them to be Recreated. They will have no memories of their past lives, and they will no longer be a threat to you or your family."

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. "Thank you."

He raised an eyebrow at me, "No requests to have them… destroyed…?"

"Not necessary. If you say they are no longer a threat to me or the ones I love, then that's all I need to know." I met his eyes squarely and he nodded with a slight smile.

"Very well then." He bowed slightly to me. "Can I help you with anything else?"

I thought about our yard and the damage it had procured. I thought about my family who would now be hysterical at our being missing. I shook my head.

"I just want to go home."

He finally gave me a real smile and with a gesture, I was lifted out of the strange white plain. A breeze ruffled my fur and feathers and the world seemed to bleed in around me like a cartoon being colored in at high speed. I was back on our front lawn, aching, exhausted, and covered in blood. But I was no longer hurt and I felt good.

I felt even better when Abathar appeared a second later and pressed his muzzle gently against my shoulder. Azuna tackled my left wrist in the same instant, meowing almost frantically.

"She couldn't get to you." Mom said, coming over to embrace us both tightly, "When you were frozen, you just vanished, and she couldn't find you."

I hoisted her up onto my shoulders again, where she vigorously kneaded my thick fur, as though to make sure I wasn't going to disappear again. Then she turned around three times and curled up. A soft vibration eked through the fur and skin into the muscles, and I felt the soft sensation of warmth and soothing peace flow gently through my veins. I closed my eyes briefly, hearing the soft purr reverberating in my ears.

I heard a polite knock on the front gate and Abathar uttered a quick and furious snarl. Growls, rumbles, hisses, and Mom's sub vocal cursing made me snap my eyes open again.

There wasn't a whole lot left of the picket fence that marked the border of our yard, so I thought it was rather comical to see a middle-aged man in funny looking clothes standing at our front gate; about the only part of the fence left standing.

"Pardon my intrusion," he said politely, "But I have been asked here by persons who wish to remain anonymous."

"What do you want?" Abathar demanded curtly.

Normally I would have tried to smooth any ruffled feathers that Abathar's attitude might have raised. Today was not that kind of day. I was more inclined to take an Abathar outlook to any damn fool who approached our property.

Far from offended however, the man smiled kindly, "I am here to request the entire family of Alkuna, as well as Alkuna herself, to come to the Battle Coliseum."

"No." Mom said flatly. I expected ice to patter to the ground from her tone alone. "No more of this. No more fighting, no more assault on my family. If I have to take this Aemis to make myself clear" she snatched up Alkuma's Legendary crossbow and leveled it right at the man's right eye, "I WILL shoot you."

So saying, she drew back on the string and snapped it into place. With a hum and a crackle, a bolt of pure Air magic formed, gleaming blue-white and sending off little tendrils of expended power. One squeeze of the trigger and the man would probably get his head blasted clean off his shoulders at that range.

Surprise, fear and then a wary respect all flashed across his face in an instant. He held up his hands in a mixture of surrender and placating gesture. "My dear woman, you misunderstand me. None of you will be required to fight in any way. An event is being held that centers around your family, and the Coliseum is the only place that can hold the number of witnesses that will be present."

"My family is also not available for parade or a freak show." The Aemis did not waver in Mom's hands for an instant and I felt a rush of respect and gratitude for her ferocious protective instincts.

"The event, Ma'am, is approved, supported, and managed by User Administrators." His polite expression looked somewhat strained, and his eyes kept crossing slightly to focus on the tip of the Aemis.

Mom paused and then slowly lowered the weapon, unhitching the string slowly to let the bolt dissipate harmlessly. "Very well." She handed the Aemis to Alkuma, who gripped it without the slightest change in expression.

***

As the portcullis rose, I found myself once again walking onto the hot sands of the Coliseum floor. Unlike last time, however, my whole family was walking out behind me. And instead of an opponent striding out from the other side of the field, a table had been set up, along with more of those strange intersecting lines, a bowl of water and a hand towel.

The entire Coliseum was full. Every seat had a butt planted in it; human and Subeta Pet alike had shown up. I thought I recognized a few faces seated close to the arena, and then I realized that many of the faces had shown up at our fence in support of us. Were these the 'persons who wished to remain anonymous'? It kinda made sense in a peaceful protest kind of way. They don't go screaming and yelling and throwing stuff, but they do get gears rolling by setting up ways to change a perception.

The man who had brought us here was waiting for us already, and mom blew out a breath that was half-exasperated, half relieved.

"All right folks. I have an idea of what this is about now." She told us in an undertone. "It's harmless, but it may do some good in the long run."

It was, quite frankly, the oddest thing I had ever seen.

Mercolo was first. The man murmured gently over the largest symbol, dabbed some water over it, and then gently placed the object against Mercolo's head.

Surprise and confusion flooded my brother's eyes, but no fear or pain.

After a few seconds, the man withdrew the symbol, traced it again in the air, and then stepped back.

There was a silence so profound that I could hear the soft rustle of sand as a light breeze stirred it. Then one person in the stands started clapping. Soon the clapping had spread to all corners of the Coliseum. The procedure was repeated all throughout the family, leaving Abathar and I for last.

As he started to rest the symbol on my head, I was shocked and horrified to see that this symbol was different. Not just intersecting lines, there was a figure of a human sprawled on it. My heart sank past my stomach and down to my ankles somewhere. The figure of a man wasn't climbing the symbol or reclining on it: he had been stabbed through the palms and was _hanging _from it.

I jerked back, my hackles rising, "That..." I hissed in a voice too low to carry to the crowds, "That's a torture victim, isn't it? _Isn't it?!_ How _dare_ you lay a…"

To my surprise, the man smiled kindly and touched my beak with a finger to keep me from raising my voice.

"It is a symbol of sacrifice." He explained gently, "This symbol is a man who gave up a lot for those he loved. Haven't you sacrificed a lot to keep your family safe?"

I started to retort that I hadn't and hesitated. I _had_ given up a lot, come to think of it. I could have hidden, kept myself sheltered. I could have been a spoiled, pampered little pet drowsing in a warm, plush home instead of going out and confronting the world with my large attitude and mouthy, in your face confrontational personality. I could have ignored Oreah; walked away after my assignment was over. Instead, I had gone nosing about in her head, and even went out to buy her plushies to offer her some comfort.

As if seeing my answer in my eyes, he smiled and gently laid the symbol on my head. I expected a jolt. A flash of holy light. Some big, fancy-shmancy fireworks show and a voice intoning some sort of impressive comment.

Instead, I felt a gentle wash of warmth and peace course through me. Unlike the weak little squirt from the fanatical woman who had used her symbol incorrectly, I felt as though the tide had come in while I wasn't looking. But instead of sweeping me off my feet, I was caressed and supported by the wave; and then it gently withdrew as he removed the symbol from its contact with me.

The clapping and cheering had risen to enthusiastic levels and many members of the audience had gotten to their feet.

No one was more bewildered and overwhelmed than Abathar; everyone cheered at the tops of their lungs and surged to their feet when he got the treatment.

"That was… unexpected," he said somewhat lamely as we returned to the quiet of the locker room.

"It was a blessing, performed by a priest." Mom explained. "We have evidence that that holy energy is harmless to you, and indeed is mildly beneficial on an emotional level. By performing it in front of thousands of people, he has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are not evil. With so many witnesses, I think it's safe to say you're safe from Derek's type of crowd."

_Safe._ I thought. _No one is ever truly safe._

But as I looked at Abathar, I could feel a surge of positive emotions reassuring me that at last, we had broken the prejudice.

"I don't know about you, but I think it's time we went home." I said, flicking my feathered tail.

Together, we all left the Battle Coliseum behind.

I was where I wanted to be. I had what I had longed for.

Love. Family. Home.

_Home._


End file.
